The Path of Loyalty
by Wishfulwriter89
Summary: After meeting Tony Stark, Kayden finds that her world isn't allowed to go back to normal. Not that she was ever normal. She is something that shouldn't even exist, but here she is. Now, she must choose a side, and when she does, she finds friends in some of the most unlikely people. Where do her loyalties truly lie? *Contains Spoilers*
1. Chapter 1

**This is a test story...I really enjoy writing this, and I'd like some feedback from other readers. Be kind...or not. Tell me what you think! I have been so focused on An Unexpected Fate, but I wanted to try something new.**

 **Chapter 1**

When all hell broke lose in New York, I was sitting in my apartment, not to far from where the fight was happening. News reporters were still crazy enough to go into the devastation and document what was happening. I was sort of familiar with what was going on, and that was only because I knew one of the people who were fighting. Iron Man, or as he's truly called, Tony Stark had found me a long time ago at a charity party. Over time, I was lucky enough to get to know him. As I thought about it, I wasn't sure if I really was lucky to know him. The man could be a real pain.

I remember when Thor came to earth, and no one could forget the Hulk. Captain America had made the news for ages when they had found him. His story had been an interesting one to follow. As for the others, I was not too familiar with. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I glared at the TV as a leviathan came out of the huge wormhole that Loki, Thor's brother had opened up in the sky. Sighing, I went to turn off the TV when my phone rang. Grunting in irritation, I picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" I asked bluntly.

"You know...I was just thinking. Now would be a great time for you to show up."

Tony's voice echoed clearly in the speaker, even though he was out there battling. I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair.

"No," I answered quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Oh come on, Kayden! You have something we need!"

"Yea, and when people find out what I am, then I'm screwed, Tony!" I snapped back, glaring at the TV. "I'm not risking my life for you humans."

"You are being unreasonable. I'm handing you over to the Captain," Tony snorted.

"No...no..." I trailed off when a new voice came onto the phone a few seconds later.

"I take it I'm talking to Kayden?"

"Yes, and who am I talking to?" I answered cautiously.

"Captain Steve Rogers," he answered. "Quick version. Tony told me who and what you are...and I'll be honest, we could really use the help out here, ma'am. You have my word that we'll keep you safe. It's a war zone out here...people are dying. I only hope you can make the right decision and make it fast."

Without letting me reply, he hung up on me. I almost crushed my phone when I looked back at the TV. It was showing footage of the so called Avengers fighting off whatever alien that they came into contact with. I sat there in silence for about five minutes, and made a life changing decision. Getting to my feet, I broke my phone in my anger, and then went to the roof of my building. They had no idea what they were asking of me, but when I turned toward where the wormhole was, I saw just how awful it was. It was also getting closer to my own home. If I sat here for much longer, this building was going to be a pile of rubble.

"Well...here we go..."

Closing my eyes, I brought out the beast in me and pushed my body to transform. Jumping into the air, I felt the wings spring from my back and I changed. When it was over, I was no longer human. Scales covered my entire body, and claws had replaced my fingers and toes. A long tail whipped to the side, and strong jaws snapped shut from the light pain that had my body aching. Spreading my black wings wide, I focused on the task at hand and flew toward the fight. They wanted to bring a dragon to the fight, so here I was.

I watched as a leviathan exited the wormhole and roared its arrival. Sizing it up I rumbled, seeing that the monster was much bigger than I was. I couldn't do much talking, because I considered myself a monster as well. Opening my mouth, I roared and the sound caused many of the alien creatures to pause in surprise. Knowing from this point that I was screwed, I decided to tap into the rage. They were attacking my home, and they had to die. My fire would be the most help in this. I had no idea where these creatures had come from, but they had to go.

The leviathan turned at my roar, and opened its own mouth to return my challenge. I lifted up slightly and took a breath as I felt the fire gather in my belly. As the creature's mouth opened again, I let loose a tongue of flame and listened as the huge beast choked in agony. Raising my claws, and dug them into the armor and to the flesh underneath and ripped into it. Not terribly long after that, my enemy was dead. Pumping my wings again, I soared into the air, and approached the wormhole when someone came to my side.

"About time!" Tony shouted. "Hulk found Loki and we are trying to close the portal. Can you aim your fire at the portal?"

Tilting my head, I lifted my lip to show my teeth, which were much more impressive than his little suit. Iron Man waved and bolted off. Making my way down through the buildings without hitting anything, I watched three of the Avengers battling on the ground and trying to save civilians. Opening my mouth I roared, causing the enemies to pause. It gave all three of them time to kill the aliens. Expertly using my tail, I killed a whole line of them as I pulled up toward the wormhole again.

Opening my mouth, I let fire spew everywhere and had to go after another leviathan. This time I wasn't so lucky, and didn't escape unharmed. It had bitten me on the back and thrown me into a building before Thor had managed to kill it. The roar of pain that had left my mouth when I had been in the leviathan's grip, had made the Hulk screech in fury. I hit the ground, close to where the others were and managed to crush several aliens underneath me. Blowing hot air through my nostrils, I slowly pushed myself up when I noticed Captain America coming over. He was followed by another guy, and Thor himself.

"Great timing, I think you managed to kill way more than we have," he panted, sounding exhausted.

I lifted my lip a little, and gave a deep rumble as I tried to find my voice. "Yea well, going up against a leviathan that bites back isn't something I'd recommend," I sighed. "You must be Steve."

"I am. And I gave you my word. We'll make sure you are kept safe," he nodded. "This is Hawkeye, and Thor. Guys, this is Kayden."

"Pleasure," Thor nodded.

"I wish I could do that," Hawkeye muttered, in good humor.

Baring my teeth in a smile, I focused a red eye on them, and then lifted up when I heard another roar. They had to break from me when more of the aliens swarmed forward and I growled. Pushing myself to my feet, I kept my wings folded until I was able to leap back into the air. My back was screaming in pain, but I was still able to kill the monster in front of me. The weapons they were using burned painfully into my already injured back.

Snarling, I lasted about fifteen more minutes in the air before I decided to make my way back to the others that were still battling on the ground. They were going to start failing soon, I could see the exhaustion wearing on their bodies. The amount of damage I had taken so quickly wore me down, but I was a dragon. I was made to fight like this. Landing behind them, I lifted my head as fire gathered and I let it go, burning through at least twenty aliens.

"Thanks," Hawkeye panted, catching his breath.

Something came over the com that connected the Avengers to one another, and Steve swung around with his finger to his ear.

"Great! Do it!"

Focusing, I listened in on their conversation when I lowered my head while keeping the enemies at bay.

"No, wait," Tony answered.

"Stark, these things keep coming!"

"I got a nuke coming in. It is gonna blow in less than a minute," he answered plainly, obviously focused on something. "And I know just where to put it."

I snapped my jaws shut, making a loud sound and lifted my head to see if I could spot them. Moving my body, I created a protective circle around Thor, Hawkeye and Rogers. Shortly after that was said, Iron Man shot past us carrying the missile. Everything in my body coiled up, and I hissed. A hand touched my scales, catching my attention so I glanced down.

"No," Thor shook his head quietly. "There is nothing you can do."

A last blast of gunfire showered down on my back and neck as I watched Iron Man go up into the portal and I roared loudly. I wasn't sure if it was in pain or from anger, but fire shot from my mouth and onto the enemy. A few minutes later, we watched as the aliens dropped to the ground and the last leviathan fell, landing on several buildings. It was such a quick end, that we knew that Tony had achieved whatever he had needed to do. Lifting my head, I watched as the portal closed and just as it did, a small body escaped. I felt myself relax a little when I noticed it was Tony, and then I tensed. He didn't appear to be moving.

"He's not slowing down," Thor stated, his voiced filled with concern.

He began to spin his hammer, when the Hulk suddenly launched out of no where and caught him. The speed of his descent threw him to a building, and then they launched to the ground nearby. As everyone ran to see if he was alive, I used that time to transform back into human. My wounds had scabbed over, so when I was finally human they were just a little bloody. The fabric of my shirt hurt, and I blinked several times at the pain. It had been a long time since I had hurt this much, so I sat down on the hood of a destroyed car. A sudden roar from the Hulk had me jumping, and Tony gasped suddenly. My shoulders dropped, glad to see that he was alive.

"Oh god...can we just...not come in tomorrow?" Tony gasped.

"We're not done yet," Thor sighed.

He reached forward and helped Tony to his feet, trying to be gentle. Tony slowly turned and looked at me, smiling slightly when he saw me. He walked over, so I slowly got up to face him. He gave me a half smile, and reached out and touched my shoulder gently in greeting.

"Glad you decided to show up," he smirked.

"Mmhmm," I sighed. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Yea well," he shrugged. "I'm starving."

I laughed, and we walked back over to the others. The Hulk regarded me quietly, staring at me for so long that I was surprised his eyes didn't water. I stared back at him after a moment, and didn't shrink back when he came forward. His expression changed a little, to a bit of amusement and he nodded his head. He must have accepted that I was someone not to kill, and that he liked me. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Well met to you too," I hummed softly, and he grunted in agreement.

Tony stood behind me, and I felt his metal hand brush my back and instantly I shuddered and fangs formed in my mouth. Turning to him, I glared at him for a moment and he gave me a look.

"Ow," I growled.

"You...should get that looked at," Tony shrugged.

I glared at him for a long moment, and fell silent when Rogers stepped forward. "All right, let's get this over with," he sighed.

We headed toward Stark tower, where I was assuming Loki was at. They took care of him as quickly as possible. I was introduced to everyone thanks to Tony. Natasha was Hawkeye's partner and she smiled at me.

"So you were the dragon flying around?" she asked.

"That was me," I nodded.

"That's pretty sweet."

"Ok, Shawarma?" Tony asked, as he got out of his suit.

"What the hell is that?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know, but it's food and I want to try it..." he nodded.

He went and found some new clothes for the Hulk and himself while we were left to wait for them. I grabbed a chair that was still whole and sat down. Footsteps caught my attention and I glanced up to see who was coming over. Steve crouched down in front of me and reached out to pat my knee.

"Where are you going after this?" he asked.

"That's a good question, because I'm sure I destroyed my apartment," I answered. "Not on purpose..."

"All right, well you stick with me then," he nodded quietly.

"That's very kind of you...but..."

"Nope, you've got no choice," Rogers shook his head. "How is your back?"

"It'll be fine," I answered softly. "I heal much faster than you humans do."

"Noted," he nodded, glancing at the cuts that were now gone on my face.

"Ok, food please," Tony whined.

The encounter with the Avengers in New York drew me into their world. I had no other choice after the attack, and soon found myself doing something I had never thought I'd do. Aligning myself with humans.


	2. Chapter 2

**I had a little bit of feed back and some follows, so I figured I'd keep going for now. Review? :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

I spent the next two years getting used to many different things. When Steve had said that he'd help me, he wasn't joking. SHIELD, under direction of Nick Fury had employed Steve and myself. We had gone on missions together, and while I had made it clear to Fury that I wasn't one who took orders, I still helped. Steve had decided it was a good idea to get a place together, so we had found a nice large two bedroom apartment. I had never lived with anyone in all my years on this planet, and it was quite an adjustment.

We took some time to get to know each other, and I found that the Captain was someone I could truly rely on. He had taken me under his care even though he didn't have to. Just for that, I made it a little easier on him. I had focused on getting him used to the time we were in, which I noticed he had difficulty adjusting to. Back in New York he had said it had been easy to fight, but sometimes he found himself stuck in the past. I had spent a few months with the others, and I had taken a liking to all of them, which I found was nice. It was nice to take in their company, and I found myself enjoying it until the time had come for us to all part.

My only issue had been with Nick Fury himself. He was an extremely intimidating human when he wanted to be, but lucky for me, it didn't work. If he had been a dragon like myself, then things could possibly go a little different, but I viewed him as nothing more than human. Fury was a strong leader, and I admired the strength he had, and how stubborn he was. I still only took orders from Steve, and found it was easier to do some side jobs for Tony when he needed some help. Thanks to him, I found that I was never short on money. It was a relief.

* * *

"OW!" I snarled, my back colliding with the mat as Steve flipped me over his shoulder.

"Oh please!" he laughed. "That did not hurt you."

"You know, I can still get the breath knocked out of me, and that isn't pleasant!" I grunted. "And we've been at this for two hours. I think we are pretty well matched. You've taught me how to control my power better. Aren't you happy?"

"Eh, it'll do for now," Steve smiled, helping me up. "And it's not power, it's rage."

"Yes sir," I snorted, giving him a salute. "Sometimes I wonder who is older...me or you."

"Definitely me," Steve replied casually, making me laugh.

He chuckled and reached for a towel and threw it to me, while grabbing one of his own. I wiped the sweat from my face. Sitting down on the bench, I took a drink of water and then waved my hand a little. I was done getting thrown onto the mat, now it was time to eat. My stomach clenched painfully and I sighed to him.

"All right, I'm starving," I announced.

"Sounds good," Steve nodded. "Go shower, you don't smell like a lady anymore."

Giving the captain a look, I walked off to go shower and change back into regular clothes. Drying my wet hair as best I could, I brushed it and braided it off to the side before walking back out after locking the stuff in the locker. Grabbing my things, I walked back out and joined him again and we grabbed a quick lunch in the park.

"So I met a guy the other morning that is a veteran and does this class, he helps people with PTSD," he said, swallowing a bite of his sandwich.

"Oh?" I asked. "Was that before the mission with Natasha?"

He laughed, "Yea, before that."

"Maybe you should go," I said thoughtfully. "Just to help you connect better with the way things are. You seem pretty bothered today."

"Yea well, I just went on a mission that I questioned, and then Fury showed me a few things that I'm really starting to worry about," he sighed.

"The world is much more screwed up then the last time you were awake," I answered softly. "At least you aren't as old as I am."

"Yea, I guess I'm lucky when it comes to that," he smiled.

I finished my lunch shortly after he did and then got to my feet and stretched. "Come on," I urged gently.

Steve chuckled. "Careful, you're coming off more human."

"Want me to ruin it and tell you what my real name is?" I teased. "I don't think you'd be able to pronounce it..."

Laughing, he got to his feet and we walked to the Smithsonian Museum. We walked through some of the exhibits and I admired several of them. I never got tired of this place, there was always something to see. They were always bringing in new things from around the world.

"So, what's it like being a dragon?" Steve asked. "Are you actually from here?"

"I know that I wasn't originally from Earth," I started thoughtfully. "Most of my kind came fro somewhere else, but I couldn't tell you where. I've long forgotten where my true home is."

"Really? Were you always human then?" Steve asked.

"I didn't always have a human form," I said slowly, as we looked at several Egyptian exhibits. "My...magic grew and soon it became necessary to have one. But nothing will beat flying, or the way my claws dig into the earth. Being what I am is freedom, and that's important to me."

"You used to refer to yourself as a monster," Steve answered quietly.

"In my younger age, yes," I nodded, looking at a painting. "I still thoroughly enjoy what I am, but as I've grown older I've become a bit wiser. Rage, in my kind is a very powerful thing. Back before all of this, before all of the advances, we would lay waste to kingdoms who dared come after us. Nothing could stop us back then. That didn't last long as humans advanced, rather quickly mind you."

Steve laughed, "Sometimes I think they've become dumber then ever before."

As we got to a certain exhibit, he lifted his head and fell quiet. I watched him look over the display that was honoring him. I watched his eyes roam over the tribute to Bucky Barnes, one of his very best friends. Putting my hands behind my back, I followed him quietly as he went into a room to watch a video of Peggy giving Captain America credit for all the lives he saved.

When it was over, he sat quietly and rested his elbows on his knees for a while. I finally leaned in and nudged him with my shoulder. He glanced at me after a moment, and I knew he was deep in thought. The past still really affected him. He had lost out on many things.

"Sometimes, we need to be reminded why we keep going. And it's because of people like that," I said gently.

"What keeps you going?" Steve asked quietly.

"Up till I met you guys, nothing," I answered. "I would just survive, because death just seemed like a way out. Now? I'd say it's you and the others I've made friends with. I am finding life quite enjoyable again. Keeping me safe is just a plus."

Rogers chuckled slightly, and easily wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Yeah, you're welcome," he teased.

I smiled fondly, and then got to my feet. "Now, go say hi to Peggy. I'm going to head home. I'll make dinner tonight, how's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," he nodded. "Thanks, D."

"I'm not full animal. I have some manners."

Patting him on the shoulder, I headed back to the apartment we called home and took a nap.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I woke up to the window opening, and when I my eyes opened it was dark in the apartment. Sitting up sharply, I cursed loudly when I realized I slept way too long. Then a scent came to my nose, one I was used to but this time there was blood mixed in with it. Instantly my eyes adjusted to the dark and I turned my gaze toward the chair in the corner of the room. Music was now playing, and my eyes landed on Fury. He was beaten up badly, and I got to my feet in a hurry. Silently, he held his hand up and silenced me as he wrote something on his phone.

I'M NOT HERE.

Biting my lip, I nodded my head and went through and got myself a glass of wine. I had no idea where Steve was, so I had no choice and sat back down. I watched over him as he leaned back and tried to rest. Thirty minutes later, the door slowly opened and I listened as Steve cautiously came in.

"Kayden?"

"Yea, I'm in the living room," I answered quietly.

He walked around the corner, carrying his shield, and his shoulders dropped when he saw Fury in the chair.

"Don't think I ever gave you a key," he said.

"Did you really think I'd need one?" Fury asked.

Steve turned on the light and then froze when he saw the condition in which Fury was in. The other man quietly turned off the lights again, moving slowly. I could tell he was in a lot of pain.

"I'm sorry to show up like this, but I had no where else to go. My wife...she left me," he said as he typed something on his phone.

EARS EVERYWHERE.

"I didn't know you had a wife."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Fury smiled tightly.

SHIELD COMPROMISED.

I froze when I read that, and for a moment the beast in me raged. Now what?! I felt panic rise up in me, but Steve laid a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it tightly.

"So who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked.

"Just my friends," Fury answered as he got up.

JUST US.

"Is that what we are?" Steve raised a brow.

"That's up to you."

Before Fury took another step, a gunshot went off and then three more. I couldn't help the cry that left my lip as Fury fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Steve ran to him, dropping down to his knees and grabbing his hand. Fury gave him something as he was dragged to safety, and I helped him.

"Don't...trust...anybody," Fury gasped, looking at us both.

He was silent after that, and passed out. Rogers stood up, blinking several times and then turned around to gaze out the window. I followed his gaze and saw someone on the roof top of another building. The door suddenly was kicked down, and I listened to the familiar voice of our neighbor.

"Captain Rogers?"

She came around the corner with a gun, armed and ready. "I'm Agent 13, I'm a SHIELD agent. I was appointed to protect you both."

"By whose orders?" Rogers demanded.

As she came to see us, she froze when she saw Fury. "His..."

Everything happened in a blur after that. Steve ended up taking off after the man who had shot Fury, and I helped her get him to the hospital. I tried my best to keep myself under control, but the truth was that I was angry. I wanted to rip apart whoever had done this to him.

I was standing behind the window when Steve ran in to see them operating on Fury. I turned seeing him, and relaxed when I saw he was unmarked.

"Did you get him?" I asked.

"No...he...we're dealing with something...else," he murmured.

When I let out my breath, I realized I was shaking slightly. There had been so much blood in the air and on my hands, that I wanted nothing more than to rip someone to shreds. Looking back into the room, I crossed my arms and stood next to Rogers as we waited. Not much later, Natasha ran into the room with us. She stood in silence, but there were tears in her eyes as she watched them operate.

"Don't you do this to me," she whispered, as Fury flat lined.

I flinched as they tried to bring him back, but it failed. For the last two years, Nick Fury had proved to be a difficult man to kill. The fact that he was now lying dead in front of us wasn't exactly registering. We were moved to a quiet waiting area and I noticed Natasha wasn't exactly looking composed. She was around much more than the others, though I had to say I was missing Hawkeye's sense of humor. It would be useful right about now.

A growl left my lips, and I followed the others once we were able to see Fury's body. Natasha walked up to stand with him, and she spent just a few brief minutes there before kissing his forehead and then leaving. Rogers glanced at me quietly, and then turned and followed her, so I did the same.

"Hey," he sighed reaching out and stopping her. "I'm sorry...I really am."

"Why was he in your apartment?" she demanded, glancing back to me.

Rogers glanced at me and then backed away and gave a helpless shrug. "I don't know," he mumbled.

She gave him a slightly disbelieving look when suddenly one of the SHIELD men caught his attention. Brock Rumlow was a trigger happy dickhead, and was a least favorite of mine. He had given Steve nothing but problems since he had started at SHIELD. I didn't like the man, and he usually left me alone.

"Cap, you're wanted back at base," he said urgently.

"All right, give me a minute," Rogers acknowledged with a wave of his hand.

"Now," Rumlow said sternly.

I tensed at the tone, and reached out quietly with my senses. Something was wrong but I couldn't quite place it. Steve slowly turned around and gave the guy a leveled look.

"Okay," he said, his voice flat.

"You're a bad liar," Natasha said quietly, glancing at us both.

She walked away without another word and I crossed my arms quietly and joined his side. Steve looked down at me and sighed again.

"Something isn't right," I muttered.

"I know. Listen, go back to base and stay alert," he nodded to me. "Don't worry about me."

"You are a trouble magnet, forgive me but I wouldn't dream of not worrying about you right now," I snorted with a chuckle.

"Cap...now," Rumlow grunted.

"Go," Steve nodded.

I hesitated for a second, my instincts screaming at me to stay with the man. A low reptilian rumble left my throat, and I glanced up at Rogers. He gave me a grateful smile, obviously seeing my struggle. Laying a hand on my shoulder, he patted my cheek and pressed a kiss to my forehead. When he leaned back, I was looking at the Captain. He was preparing himself for whatever was going to happen next.

"That's an order," he said, the command in his tone.

Giving him an irritated look, I nodded. "All right. But...I'm watching. I'll be there if you need me."

Turning, I walked off and slowly made my way back to the SHIELD building I was familiar with. I kept my senses open, and noticed I had a small group of people following me by the time I got to the first floor. Quietly, I made my way to the cafe they had there, knowing that it was a bit harder for them to attack me if it came to that. I knew that not everyone was aware of what I was, but I wasn't sure I wanted to take my chance.

I ordered a coffee and a muffin before taking my seat. The waiter delivered them to me, and I gave him a nod of thanks. Doing a quick scan with my eyes, I noticed the team that was on me consisted of four men. No doubt they were going to send their best somewhere else. Amusement flooded my body, seeing that they didn't realize I was the bigger threat.

Taking my time, I ate my banana muffin and sipped on my coffee. I took a drink of the coffee and sighed happily at the taste of it. Keeping part of my attention on them, I focused on where Captain Rogers was in the building. He was far from me, but not too far. The only reason I ever listened to him was because he was a legit commander. It was easy to follow him, and the beast in me was content with that. I was willing to protect him with my life if need be.

"Ma'am?"

Taking my eyes off of my phone, I looked up at the strike team member that had approached me. He was suited up in armor that they'd normally use for missions. That amused me, but it also worried me. What was going on that made them suit up for this? Fury had said SHIELD was compromised. Did that mean we couldn't trust anyone? From the looks of it, I decided trusting this group was a no.

"Yes?" I asked, appearing confused.

"You need to come with us," he rumbled.

I didn't move from my seat. "Why?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Captain Rogers requested your presence, you'll be debriefed on the way," the man answered shortly.

"No, he told me he'd meet me here, so if you don't mind, I'll just stay here and wait," I shook my head. "I haven't even finished my coffee."

"Things changed, he said he'd appreciate it if you met him," he answered, his fingers twitching.

Arching my brow, I sighed and slowly got to my feet. They were all slightly nervous when I got out of the cafe, and I wasn't sure if it was because they knew what I was, or if it was because I was a woman. It didn't matter to me either way, because they weren't going to get me. I let them walk me down a large hallway, and I focused on the building when I heard something. There was a struggle going on in the main elevator and when I listened I could hear Roger's voice in the mix. They were fighting. I stopped dead in my tracks, knowing this was a trap. The men escorting me stopped as well, and I noticed they glanced at each other.

"How many men did you think it would take to contain little old me?" I asked, blinking innocently.

"Two, but they told us four just in case," one smirked.

I smiled wide, and my eyes went red. "You're going to need more than a hundred to take me on," I snarled, fangs forming in my mouth.

They instantly went for their weapons, but I moved quicker than they did. I elbowed the man who had spoken to me, and then ran for it. They wouldn't be able to catch me anyway with the speed I was moving at. I heard something break in the elevator and I was outside before anyone could stop me. I watched the elevator fall down at least ten floors before managing to stop. He was still at least fifty stories in the air. While I knew that the fall wasn't going to be a problem for him, leaving here was. I could see teams already mobilizing, ready to take him out.

It was now or never, and I chose now. Pushing my transformation into a smaller dragon, I leaped into the air with a roar. Twenty feet wasn't even close to my real size, but at least it was still impressive. It was big enough to notice, and Steve noticed. He broke through the glass with his shield and I pushed myself up quickly. Tilting at the perfect time, I caught him with my claws and got him onto my back.

"You okay?!" he cried.

"Yes," I rumbled, as he held on.

A jet came after us, and I let loose a tongue of fire that melted most of the aircraft in a single breath. Nothing was hotter than dragon fire, it would melt or destroy almost anything. Snarling, I lifted up into the clouds and disappeared quickly. We didn't stay to make sure the jet was down.

"We have to get back to the hospital," Steve said, once I safely landed on top of a building.

"Let's grab a change of clothes, and go," I nodded.

I pushed myself to my human form and shook the feeling from my limbs. Steve took note of where we were and we rushed down to the floor level of the apartment building. We had to walk one block through the alleyways before I found a store to buy some clothes. I changed into a pair of pants instead of my skirt and threw on a new shirt. Grabbing some glasses, I put on a headband and walked out with Rogers once he was ready. I grabbed his shield, and strapped it safely in a hiding spot once we got to the hospital.

"What are we here for?" I asked lowly.

"I stashed something," he said quietly. "I need to get it."

He stopped at a vending machine, and when I looked to see what he was looking at, I noticed something was missing.

"You know, you're really bad at hiding things."

Natasha walked out of a room, making us both turn. For a second, rage flared in Rogers, and he grabbed her by the throat and shoved her into the room and against the wall.

"Where is it?" he demanded.

"It's safe." she replied.

They went back and forth for a moment, and he tried to get her to be straight. I felt my eyes turn red, and I almost grunted when Natasha finally sighed and looked at him right in the eye.

"I know who killed Fury," she said quietly.

"What?" Steve and I both asked.

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists, the ones who do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years," she answered.

"So he's a ghost story?" Rogers asked.

"Five years ago I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran, somebody shot at my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over the cliff, I pulled us out, but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot him straight through me."

Natasha lifted her shirt to show us the scar on her hip and I arched my brow at it. She gave us a look and sighed quietly as she pulled her shirt back down.

"A Soviet slag, no rifling. Bye-bye bikinis," she sighed.

"Yea, I bet you look terrible in them now," Rogers snorted, making me suppress a chuckle.

Natasha gave a hint of a smile, and shrugged a little. "Going after him is a dead end. I'd know. I've tried. Like you said, he's a ghost story."

She held up the flash drive for him and he took it and glanced back at me. "Well, let's see what the ghost wants."

I gave him a full smile and tilted my head at the spy that was in front of me. "There was one thing you didn't have five years ago."

"Oh?" she arched her brow.

"Me," I shrugged.

"Kayden can track anything, and anyone," Steve answered quietly. "We can figure out what's on this flash drive while she goes out and tracks him."

"It'll be a bit easier, just in case," I nodded. "They'll have to divide if they come after any of us. And I don't mind making a public appearance. You two need to lay low. I'll keep my phone on me, and try to keep them off you. Especially Rumlow."

Steve nodded, and Natasha walked out of the room, obviously ready to get this moving. I ran a hand through my hair and gave a quiet snort when he looked at me.

"What?" he asked, not amused.

"Never thought I'd be helping humans the way I am," I smiled, clearly amused. "Please stay safe. You are one of my favorites."

"Well, I haven't met any dragons, so I gotta say you're pretty swell yourself. And I will be. Hopefully you can find him," Steve nodded.

I hummed a little, and patted him on the chest before walking out and going in the opposite direction of him. I went straight for the roof, easily slipping out of sight. Looking up at the sky, I took note of the clouds and then focused for a long moment. I pushed myself into a dragon form the size of a hawk.

As the world had changed, I needed to as well. My magic had changed, and advanced in ways that I never thought possible. Spreading my wings, I flew off toward the apartment. Landing in the place that I had seen the figure that had killed Fury, I took in a big breath. His scent was different. Metal, mixed with the scent of bad shampoo and ice. Ice? That was odd. Snorting out smoke, I followed it all over the city. The man was good at covering his tracks, I had to give him that. A few times, I lost his scent and had to back track to find it again.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was well into the night when I finally made contact with who I was dealing with. I followed him all the way to Alexander Pierce's house, and hung on a building across from the house to see him. My vision was excellent at night, so I had no trouble looking into the house. The moon light glinted off his metal arm from where he sat in the kitchen. I knew I had found the Winter Soldier.

"So the ghost isn't a ghost after all," I muttered, baring my teeth toward Alexander. "Traitor."

I watched them for a while, wondering how Steve and Natasha were doing. When Pierce finally ended the conversation, I watched as the Winter Soldier left. Turning, I scrambled back up the building and onto the roof. I had to figure out how to stall him, since Pierce had set him on the two Avengers. Turning around after doing a little hop, I paused when my gaze landed on the Soldier ten feet from me.

The form I was in wasn't exactly intimidating, but that wasn't the problem. Getting a good look at his face had me turning human in seconds. The transformation surprised him, and I only noted that the expression came from his eyes. Other than that, I couldn't read him at all.

"Do you speak?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Occasionally," he answered lowly.

"No doubt, Pierce wants me dead right?" I asked.

He smiled, "Not quite."

I gave him my own smile, before I got serious. "Bucky Barnes, what are you doing serving a man like Alexander Pierce?"

It was silent for several minutes, and he went from looking at me in shock, to glaring at me.

"I don't know who that is," he replied, and it wasn't a lie.

"You did...once," I answered sadly.

I had no idea how Rogers was going to react to see his friend again, if he ever saw his face. Barnes charged forward, and I spun and jumped off the roof and bolted. He followed right behind me, and I tried to ignore the blinding pain of two bullets that hit me in my back. Rage bubbled in my stomach, and I pushed myself and jumped back to the top of a ten story building. Landing, I turned around and met Barnes head on.

"Bad choice," I hissed.

I delivered a hard punch to his stomach that sent him flying back to the street below. Not waiting, I turned back into a small dragon and flew off. Knowing now that Pierce's goal was to capture me, I wasn't about to give him the opportunity to. I went to an old safe house nearby and turned human once inside. Pulling out the bullets in my body, I quietly took a shower and put on a fresh pair of clothes. By that time, the sun was up. Glancing at the clock, I read it was 9 am.

When I got done, my phone beeped. Grabbing it, I looked at the text message. It was from Steve, so at least I knew he was alive. I had no idea what they had went through, but I obviously had my own problems.

ON YOUR LEFT HOUSE.

I recognized the message instantly. He was heading to that guy Sam's house. So he must have stopped by that class Sam had been teaching. I had never met the guy, but he seemed nice. Glad he was safe, I responded to him.

HIDING.

YOU OK?

As I went to respond, I heard a quiet hum and a click. NOPE.

I managed to send it out, and I ran for the window as the house started to explode. It went up in flames, and the explosion threw me from the window, which wasn't a window anymore. The whole side of the house was gone by the time I hit the cement, and I skidded painfully onto my side. My skin was burning from the fall, but thankfully I didn't have much time to worry, since I was already healing. That still didn't change the way my body felt.

Grunting, I took a huge breath and pushed myself to my feet, when someone suddenly hit me. I saw the metal arm as it came to strike again, and I stopped it with a snarl of anger. Humans never made me weak, and this one was doing a good job at catching me off guard and moving in quickly. He would have made a wonderful dragon. Surging to my feet, I went to hit him back, when something suddenly sliced through my skin and buried deep in my side.

I hissed at the pain and went to move back when he suddenly shot me right in the shoulder. I had to hand it to him, he was smart. No doubt he had the same serum in him that Rogers did, on top of the metal arm. Even Rogers could put up a fight against me, in my human form. If I was a dragon they'd be dead.

"Not so powerful now, are we?" he smiled, kneeling and grabbing my throat.

"What does he want with me?" I asked, not hiding it.

"You will be useful," Barnes answered.

"An experiment," I whispered. "Like you..."

"I'm not."

Blinking several times, I grabbed his wrist as I bled out before him. He was keeping the knife in my side so I couldn't heal. Smart man. Looking at his skin, I let my fingers take in the warmth for a moment, before I looked at him again. I was so used to Steve, that I had grown soft around humans. It didn't help that Bucky had been one of Steve's best friends. I glared daggers at him.

"Please, don't let them have me," I begged. "Please, Barnes. Don't let them. I can't be caged, and turned into a lab rat. It's not what I am."

Barnes looked at me for a moment, his eyes fluttering at his name. He looked down slightly to see where my fingers touched his wrist, and for a moment, his hold loosened. Barnes let go of my throat and his fingers quietly brushed my neck. He was struggling with something, and I sucked in a breath when he suddenly yanked the knife from my side.

"Convince me," he growled, obviously confused by his choice.

I stood up slowly, and let our fingers touch for a moment before I jumped back. As I did, I pushed my transformation into a larger version of my dragon form. A roar left my jaws, and I swung and struck him with my tail. Fire left my mouth as I did, and I wasted no time in jumping into the air. I didn't want to kill him, so I fled into the clouds.

Pushing myself into a smaller form, I went back to the city and landed in an alley outside of my apartment. Back to the start of it all. I sank down to the ground and caught my breath for the moment. I had managed to turn human, and the wounds that had not yet healed bled painfully. I focused on healing them, and hissed softly. This was not how things were supposed to go. I wasn't left alone long, when I caught someone walking toward me. Surging to my feet, I moved into a defensive position when I saw who it was.

"Hill," I said, obviously shocked.

"Hurry, come with me," she said. "I've been following you all morning."

I snorted, and followed her to the suv she had parked in front of the alleyway. She drove me out of the city and into the woods, miles from the capital. Hill said nothing as she drove, and answered none of my questions. When she parked outside of a building that went underground, I hesitated.

"Come on. He's waiting," she motioned.

Curiosity had me following her down through the tunnels. It was a secret bunker, fully operational. I walked into a room with her, and stopped dead in my tracks when I laid eyes on someone I thought was actually dead.

"What..."

"You think it's that easy to get rid of me?" Fury asked sitting up slowly.

"But...you flat lined. No human ever bounced back from that," I answered.

"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him," Fury smiled a little. "There is pizza, if you are hungry."

"I could eat a whole cow," I muttered, sitting down.

I noted that agent Hill left again, so I quietly sat down in the chair that was across from Nick. Grabbing a piece of pizza, I ate it and then finished off several more before I wasn't shaking anymore. I didn't realize how hungry I was. Once done, I looked up at Fury. He gave me a level gaze, and I finally couldn't help it and glared at him.

"You know who the Winter Soldier is," I growled.

"I do," he said slowly.

"Why not tell Rogers?" I demanded.

"It wasn't the right time, and I wasn't sure if Barnes was even still alive until two days ago," Fury answered. "I'm sorry."

"You do know that Pierce wants to turn me into a lab rat right?" I glared.

Fury gave me a slightly surprised look. "No, I didn't."

"He's the one who executed you," I answered. "I tracked Barnes all the way to his house the night you supposedly died. Had a little chat with the Soldier himself. "

Several emotions went across Fury's normally blank face. "I should have known," he muttered.

"I'm sorry you had to find out from me," I shrugged. "But, I have a new goal for myself. I want to get Barnes out."

"What makes you think that's possible?"

"Well, one I'm a dragon and apparently that wasn't possible. So why not do something that is much more realistic. He blew up my safe house this morning, and almost captured me, but instead when I asked him to not take me in, he let me go and made it look like I won," I answered slowly. "He knew that keeping a major artery open would prevent me from healing, and would make me weak. Yet, he took it out and let me go. I'm willing to be he's worth saving."

"You need to be careful, Kayden," Fury rumbled, giving a little cough. "We don't know what he's fully capable of."

"Yeah, you guys don't know what I can do either," I smiled. "Get some rest. I'm sure we'll be here for a bit."

I watched as the doctor came into help Nick get back to a bed and get on fluids again. Not feeling safe in my human skin, I shed it for my dragon form. I stretched each wing half way and shook myself from where I was in the large tunnel and laid down against one of the walls. The cold stone walls were nice against my scales, and I found myself falling asleep rather quickly.

I slept for several hours, and woke to shouting coming from the entrance of the tunnel. Immediately I recognized Hill's voice and I caught Steve's scent when they got closer. Blood also filled the air, which belonged to Natasha. Opening my red eyes, I watched as she was rushed off to the doctor, and Steve stopped running when he spotted me. He slowed down, and his shoulders dropped as he got to me. A sigh of relief passed his lips, and he dropped down to his knees when he got next to my head. His hands fell to lay on my larger muzzle and I noticed he was still slightly shaken.

"You're alive," he whispered. "What happened?"

"You guys look rough," I answered.

"You first."

I moved my head, and let him sit against my neck when I curled in a little. "Our safe house got blown up. The Winter Soldier tracked me, almost as good as I tracked him. He has your serum in his body, and something more."

"It's Bucky..."

I listened to the broken tone of his voice, and a soft rumble left my mouth and I tilted my head to look at him. "I know...I found out too. I'm so sorry."

"So what happened?"

"Well...he knew how to keep me weak," I murmured. "But something happened. I pleaded with him not to let them turn me into a lab rat. Pierce wants to study me. I'm sure he thinks he can make more dragons. Which is literally impossible unless I somehow find another male dragon alive and well, so I'm not worried. Anyway, he...something happened, and he let me go."

"Seems Hydra is blowing everyone up. I think we all found out about what was going on at the same time. Hydra wants to take over the world," Steve answered.

"Yes," I nodded. "But I'm expecting that they figured they'd have me in chains right now. I don't think Barnes ever disobeys orders."

Steve looked at me, and his hand ran across the scales on my neck, and he patted there as well. I rumbled again, and nudged him to his feet quietly.

"Go get changed and find some food," I murmured. "I'm...exhausted and you need to be briefed...come and get me when you have a mission."

"Are you all right?" Steve looked down at me in concern.

"Bothered. But I'll be okay," I nodded, putting my head back against the wall.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Thankfully, Steve didn't push further, and left me alone. I had another hour and a half of peace before they came back out, suited up. Rogers left everyone, and headed outside, so I got up and followed him. Once I was on the bridge, I opened my wings and let them soak up the sun. Watching me for a moment, Steve looked back over the river. Sam walked out, and froze when he saw me. Looking up at me, Steve gave a slight chuckle, and then waved Sam over. I bared my teeth in a smile, unable to help it. It made him uncomfortable.

"She's harmless," he said easily. "To you at least."

"Am I that scary?" I asked innocently, lowering my head and shooting smoke from my nostrils.

"No..." Sam muttered.

"Bad liar, Sam," I grinned, baring my teeth.

He blinked a little, and then forced himself to look at Rogers, who turned around and smacked me right on the nose. I narrowed my eyes at him, but lifted my head and let them talk to one another. I wasn't sure what to expect in this battle that was coming, but all I knew was that the hellicarriers needed to be destroyed. It made me sigh at the thought, because I was too old for this. I wasn't going to abandon Steve however. I owed him that much.

"He's gonna be there you know," Sam said, leaning against the railing.

"I know," Steve answered, crossing his arms.

"Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop," Sam offered, being realistic.

"I don't know if I could do that," Steve answered honestly.

"Well he might not give you a choice..."

I growled lowly, something about this making me upset. Ruffling my wings, I reset them against my sides and dug my claws into the cement. Sam eyed me uneasily for a moment, and flinched when a snarl left my jaws. My throat glowed with dragon fire in my silent rage, and Steve reached up and touched my shoulder. I glanced down at him as his hand laid firmly on my scales, and a low hum left my throat.

"It's time," Steve said. "Suit up."

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"First, I'll have a chat with the dragon. Next, when you fight in a war, you need a uniform," Steve smiled. "Go."

When we were alone, Steve turned fully to me and shifted slightly to get my attention. I bared my teeth and turned to look at him. He held his hand up, not at all intimidated by me. I had to give it to him, that was always impressive to me. It was one of the reasons I never allowed myself to hurt him. He always approached me with confidence, never flinching at the sight.

"Calm down," he said quietly.

"I won't let anyone kill him," I growled. "I may not know him like you did...but he can be saved. I saw it."

"Then I guess that's our job isn't it," Steve answered seriously.

I snorted at him, and let him get on his way to go get a suit. I had no doubt he was heading into the city to get his old one, which was in the museum. That sent a spark of amusement through me. He'd be sending the poor guards into a frenzy, trying to find it. Humming to nothing in particular, I looked at the sky again.

* * *

An hour later, we were heading back into the city and to SHIELD. I stayed back with Fury for a little while, not wanting to get directly involved. If I got directly involved I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I had spent so many years trying to stay a secret, and now if I fought in this it'd be out. Everyone would know a dragon existed in this world today.

"I think it is time you throw caution to the curb," Fury said slowly. "Time to show them what you are made of. Here, I had this made for you. You can thank Tony and Banner for it. It'll stay in your ear even when you transform."

I looked at him, and grabbed the ear piece that would connect me with the others. Nodding my head, I put it in and listened to the chaos that was going on. He was right, it was time to show myself. The hellicarriers were already taking flight, and Fury had his own things to do. I pushed my transformation, and kept myself at fifty feet. Launching into the air, I lifted up straight into the clouds so they couldn't see me coming.

From the looks of it, Sam was having a hard time with a jet that had taken to the air. I was keeping an eye out for Barnes as well. As Sam, aka Falcon dove, I came out of the cover of the clouds and reached out. My claws dug into the jet, and I crushed it easily after a bit of fire left my mouth.

"Kayden!" Sam gasped.

"Joining the party," I smirked, and threw the jet to the floor of the hellicarrier.

Diving down, I noticed that jets were going up in flames. The thing that caught my attention was that the jets were on the ground. Going down there, I went in for the landing, and came down heavily in front of Barnes. He had a rocket in his hand, and when he looked at me I saw nothing but cold anger. Snorting loudly, I growled as he went to blow up another plane, and I took the hit to my side. It didn't do much damage, but it was enough to hurt a little.

Snarling out, I roared and went to swipe at him when he jumped and ran in to shoot me in the face. Throwing my wings out, I threw him from me and roared as the explosion went off right by my head. Two jets managed to make it into the air, and I blocked anymore attempts at shooting them down. Baring my teeth, I smacked him with my tail and then leaped forward. Pushing my change back to human, I struck him around the middle. Barnes grunted, and we hit the cement painfully. I scraped my arms and my side, but that only kept me focused on my task.

"Barnes...your name is James Barnes," I said firmly.

He tripped me suddenly, and grabbed my throat and slammed me down against the pavement. I gasped slightly and reached out and grabbed him by the head. There were a few things I could do that the humans didn't know about. Getting into someone's mind was one thing. It took a lot of power, but I could usually do it. I had spun so many stories and lies during my time on earth, so long ago. I hadn't done this in a long time.

"REMEMBER!" I snarled, forcing my way into his head.

Barnes roared out in agony as I pulled a few memories forward. I managed to find some of him and Rogers, as well as the one from the other night when he let me go. It was an exhausting thing to do, and suddenly, I was thrown back from him. An explosion went off, blowing me back and I screamed. I couldn't get up right away after that, and I kept my eyes closed for a few minutes. He left, flying away in a jet while I laid on the ground trying to heal.

"Alpha locked," Falcon said in my ear.

"One more," Hill responded. "Kayden, where are you?"

"Trying to heal. Grounded at the moment..." I grunted painfully. "Give me a moment."

"Are you all right?" Steve demanded.

"Fine Captain," I growled, standing up. "I'm going to apologize for what happens next."

Steve shouted in my ear as I gave into the rage that was being suppressed. It was a good time, because as my transformation was taking over, several missiles hit me. I lost count of how many, but they didn't truly hurt me. I had missed most of them, but a few had hit my back legs and tail. This Hydra had to go down. I wasn't sure what the hellcarriers were going to do, but I knew it wasn't going to be good. There were too many jets in the air, and from the shouting, Falcon was down.

My wings snapped out again, and I slammed my foot down into the ground, my claws flexing. Lifting my head, I roared loudly and ignored the talking in my ear. Steve was trying to talk me down, and for a brief moment I could smell fear in the air. It made me grin. My body wasn't big enough to take down a hellcarrier, but I wasn't going to be useless.

Lifting into the air, I gave a mighty pump of my wings and went after a jet was was hovering over the hellcarrier that Steve was on. I came up under it, catching the screaming from inside as my jaws snapped shut on it, biting it in half. The next one didn't stand a chance against my flames. I took out each jet that was still in the air, except for the two that I had helped into the air. A loud roar left my jaws again, and I dove when I saw Barnes heading after Steve and I reached out and snatched him from the carrier. It gave Steve a few precious moments, but suddenly, a white hot pain shot through my belly.

Stunned, I glanced down to see that Barnes had shot something straight into my belly, aware that my scales were softer there. A snarl of rage left my jaws, and as I went to squeeze the life out of him, he shot again, and I shrieked in pain. I threw him down, aware that he landed gracefully on the carrier.

"Kayden! Kayden!"

"Finish the mission," I snarled, not recognizing my voice.

I had to land, and made sure to do it on the other side of the lake so that I could focus on my healing. I had no idea what he had shot me with, but it hurt! I felt so stupid for letting my belly be open to him. I had grabbed him and put him in a spot that was easy to shoot me there. Above us, I could hear Steve fighting, and the faint sound of gunshots. Panting in pain, I watched the hellcarriers for about ten minutes more minutes before Steve spoke.

"Charlie locked."

"Ok, Cap get out of there," Hill said.

"Fire now..." Steve panted.

I snarled at the same time Hill said, "Steve!"

"Do it! Do it now!" he ordered, his voice strained.

It was obvious that he was in pain, but I didn't know how badly he was injured. I flinched as suddenly the hellcarriers started to fire upon one another. Pushing myself to my feet was agony, but I wasn't about to let him die. I opened my wings and focused on what I wanted to do. Pushing myself into the air, I headed toward the hellcarrier Steve was on.

"Kayden no!" Hill ordered.

"Don't take orders from you," I snarled. "And if he dies, I won't take orders from anyone else."

All the healing I had done made my vision blur, and as I got close enough an explosion set me off course. At the same moment, I saw Steve falling from the carrier. My brain scrambled for a way to reach him. I could see that he was covered in blood from multiple wounds and that alone made me fear for him. Roaring out, my ears suddenly started ringing when another explosion hit and I was thrown back. I hit the water painfully, and for a moment I was too stunned to do anything. Blinking several times, I finally came to and righted myself.

Swimming was easy in this form, thank god. When I found Steve, I noticed he wasn't alone. Bucky had jumped in after him and was dragging him to shore. Knowing he was safe for now, I relaxed and went up to get some air and took a gasping breath. The hellcarriers hit the ground, and when I glanced up, something hit me painfully in the back, digging in. Growling out a slew of curses, I dragged myself to shore.

The moment my claws touched the mud, I was pulling myself onto the bank and into the trees. Panting, and grunting in agony, I froze when I noticed that I wasn't alone. Barnes stood there as I collapsed. I bared my teeth at him, unable to help it and a snarl left my jaws. He said nothing, and instead walked over quietly. Barnes made sure I was okay, before yanking whatever it was out of my back. I controlled myself, and held back the yelp of pain that wanted to come out.

"Sorry," he muttered, and suddenly was gone.

I couldn't hold the form any longer, and the moment it was safe I turned human and everything went black.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

They didn't take me to the hospital, and instead I slept it off. Steve on the other hand was rushed in immediately following the destruction of the hellcarriers. When I was fully functional again, I went straight to see the Captain. He was awake when I walked into the room, and I sucked in a breath when I saw him. He met my gaze, and I saw relief shining in his good eye. The other was still shut, and the cut and bruising around it looked uncomfortable.

"You're okay," he whispered, his voice rough.

"Hardly a scratch," I smiled softly, walking over to him.

I pulled up a chair and scooted up to the bed and sat down. Steve reached out for my hand, so I allowed him to grab it fiercely. He was alive, against all that had happened. I knew he was strong to begin with, but if Barnes had not jumped down to save him, Steve surely would have drowned. I blinked a few times, and leaned my head down, against our hands. He stroked my forehead with a finger, giving as much comfort as he was able. That made me smile.

"If I had reached you in time, you wouldn't be here," I murmured.

"Yeah I would have. I only got shot three times," Steve chuckled weakly. "Don't beat yourself up. You had enough of that."

"He saved you," I murmured. "Dove in and pulled you out."

Sucking in a breath, Steve looked at me for a moment, and then leaned his head back. He closed his eye, but a small smile graced his expression. I squeezed his hand gently, and stayed with him for most of the day. I was still extremely exhausted, but that was only because of all the healing my body had done. I ended up falling asleep, leaned on the bed after resting my head in my hands. I assumed Steve did the same.

When I woke up, he was stroking my hair and from the sense I caught he was still in some pain. I couldn't help but hum at the contact, and he continued to run his fingers through my hair. I wasn't sure if it was helping him, or me. Probably for the both of us. I kept still, but managed to glance up at him to see that his eyes were close. I yawned, unable to help it and blinked a few times. Sam walked in a few minutes later with two coffee's and he chuckled when he saw me.

"You should go back and go to bed," he chuckled.

I gave him a fake glare. "I'm fine. How long did I sleep?"

"Both of you fell asleep for at least four hours," he grinned.

"That explains why my back hurts," I sighed, and Steve chuckled.

I sat up slowly, and stretched quietly. Sam handed me the coffee and I gratefully accepted it. I drank it while moving out of the way when the nurses came in to check on Steve. He was healing quicker than expected, but then again he was a super soldier. It was a relief to see that the bullets had gone straight through him. When I sat down, I sighed again.

I stayed with him for most of the day, ignoring his light protests to send me home to sleep. Now that he had back up, Sam went home to catch some rest himself. I watched him leave, and glanced down at my phone when it beeped. Maria Hill told me everything was going as it should. She was now working for Tony Stark. I was informed that Stark wouldn't mind letting us come to the new headquarters in New York.

Tilting my head, I sighed a little at that bit of news. I enjoyed our apartment here in downtown D.C. I wasn't exactly wanting to move or change that, but I supposed that wasn't up to me. Steve slept for a little longer, before he woke up, startled. I looked up from where I was curled up comfortably in the chair.

"Steve?" I asked slowly, and he blinked and looked over at me.

"Just a dream," he sighed, then grunted. "I hate being stuck here."

"I'm sure you'll be let out once you can manage to walk," I mused, getting to my feet.

"Hopefully tomorrow," he rumbled. "You should go home. I won't be here forever."

Looking at him with a sigh, I finally gave in. It was close to dinner anyway, and I wouldn't mind sleeping in my own bed tonight. The apartment had been cleaned up while we had been here, so I wasn't worried about a mess at least. Sharon, the woman who had been assigned to look after Steve said it was no trouble.

"Stay out of trouble," he rumbled.

"Even in a hospital bed, you're still giving me orders," I grunted.

He chuckled. "Damn right I am."

I couldn't help the fond smile that lit up my expression. Leaning down, I kissed him on the cheek and let him wrap his good arm around me.

"You would have made a mighty dragon," I said softly. "And you are an even mightier human. Rest well. I'll return later."

Steve gently squeezed my waist, and I leaned back and left the room. These humans were quickly becoming my clan, and I hadn't felt something like that in hundreds of years.

He was out of the hospital in three days, looking like he had only been roughed up a little. His ability to heal was something that had always surprised me. That humans had been able to enhance him the way they had was astounding. I was sitting on the couch napping when the door opened, and I startled awake. He arched a brow at me, and I decided not to let my surprise show. I had expected him to stay in for at least a week after he had woken up. Then again, he had been in there a whole week, he had just slept through most of it.

"How are you feeling?" I asked casually, as he sat down in the recliner.

"Like I got into a bar fight," he mused. "That's about it."

I chuckled at that. "Better then being shot, thrown from a carrier..."

He huffed out a soft laugh. "Much better then that."

Stretching, I got to my feet after asking him if he was hungry. That had been a silly question to ask, because Steve was always hungry. I decided to make a late lunch for us and handed it to him when I finished. He happily accepted the plate of food, while I just decided to drink a cup of coffee.

"And you? How are you feeling?" he asked, swallowing a huge bite.

"Well, I'm glad you aren't dead," I replied. "I'm glad all of us made it out alive. That is all I could ask."

"I got word that Tony wanted us to move to the new headquarters," he answered, taking a drink of water.

"So he wants us to..." I glanced at him.

"I'd assume so," he shrugged.

His phone beeped not long after and he sighed and checked it. Putting it back in his pocket, he got to his feet and put his dish in the sink.

"Fury wants to meet at the grave site. Want to join?" he asked.

"No, you go," I shooed him away. "I'm fine."

After the hearing that had gone on, it was known that a dragon was here on earth. We had gone several years not worrying about it, but now, Natasha had no other choice. Because of that, I was trying to lay low and not show my face in public. Everyone knew who Steve Rogers was, and it would only connect who I was, well rather what I was if I was seen with him. I chose to stay out of it.

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

After everything was done, I decided to move into the Avengers tower, as Tony so happily put it. It was complete with everything anyone needed. Steve also took the offer and moved into the tower as well. Bruce Banner continued staying with us, and only because he enjoyed working with Tony so much. Being in the same place as Tony Stark proved to be difficult with my temper. He was usually annoying.

I held the place down as they had gone on a mission to retrieve Loki's scepter in Russia. Now that the world knew about me, I decided that laying low for a little while was better then going into the world like nothing was wrong. I instead, helped Falcon look for James Barnes.

Ever since the destruction of SHIELD, I had been searching for him. I had found his trail several times, but he wasn't an easy person to find. I wasn't about to give up now though. He'd show himself sooner or later, and Steve wouldn't want me to give up just yet.

I growled to myself as I sat in the Smithsonian, in front of the Captain America exhibit. He had come here often, from the smell of his scent. I knew he was looking at the memorial for him. Resting my elbows on my knees, I propped my head up for a moment as I stared at the video for a while that was playing, just to pass the time.

When it ended, I felt the air shift behind me, and a scent filled my nose. For just a brief moment, I was filled with excitement. Glancing behind me, I met the brown eyes of Bucky Barnes himself. Looking back ahead of me, I stared at the screen that was now blank.

"Well, you are a hard person to find when you don't want to be found," I mused.

"I would assume you would be the same," he muttered.

"You would never find me if I decided that I wanted to stay lost," I grunted, and he snorted behind me.

"You've been searching for me for a while," Barnes muttered. "Why?"

"I mean you no harm," I started quietly. "Steve just...he wanted to find you. It's known through all of Hydra, and the Avengers that you went missing. I'm guessing that is because memories of your old life have surfaced."

"From what you did to me," he grunted. "And...I remembered...what he said to me before he fell."

"Listen, you saved me when they wanted to make me an experiment," I replied. "I want to return the favor, and help you remember who you used to be. Plus, I'd like to keep the only person who has ever made me weak under my claws."

A soft laugh erupted from the man behind me. "Everybody has a weakness," he answered. "You're just angry I found yours."

"And I'm sure I know what yours is," I mused.

"Oh?"

"Your memories, and soon after that, Steve," I said smugly, glancing over my shoulder.

He glared slightly at me, and watched as I got to my feet. I chuckled softly, and then reached out to touch his hand. At first, James flinched at the contact, but he relaxed slowly.

"And also, perhaps I like you," I mused. "I don't like a lot of people."

His expression eased a bit, and I backed up as he stood up. James was taller by almost a foot when put up against me. Looking up at him, I tilted my head a little.

"I'm a monster," he rumbled quietly. "There is nothing to like about me. I'll come around when I'm ready."

Before he could walk off, I reached out and grabbed his hand. James froze for a long moment, before turning back and looking at me. I wasn't about to let him walk away thinking that. He was far from one in my eyes.

"I'm a monster," I said softly. "I've destroyed many more lives than you have. But the difference between you and I...is that you didn't have a choice. I did."

Surprise flashed across his expression. "What?"

"I'm a dragon," I sighed. "It's just...back then, it was what we did. I laid waste to more than one kingdom in my time."

"How do you live with it?"

"I just do," I shrugged. "It's a part of what I am. I once told Steve that as I've grown older, I've mellowed you could say. I no longer want to fight, but if I had to, the world better look out."

"Are you even from here?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"No. I can't remember where I'm from, but I know I didn't come from here," I answered. "You come around when you are ready, we'll be there."

James nodded briefly, before easing himself out of my hand and walked off. I sighed quietly, and decided that it was time to go back to New York. I made sure I wasn't seen when I was flying home, and at sunset, I was landing outside of the building. Tony had built a huge platform to support my dragon form, along with any other flying machine that might come in handy. Rumbling quietly, I listened to the noises inside and heard familiar talking. Baring my teeth in a smile, I watched the door open.

A very exhausted Steve walked out, still dirty from whatever he had been doing. I gave a soft croon in his direction, and folded my wings. He gave me a relieved smile, and reached out to stroke my cheek. I welcomed the touch, and used it to center myself from the long flight. A rumble left my throat, and he sighed softly.

"When did you get back?" I asked.

"About twenty minutes ago," he sighed.

"Were you successful?"

"Yes," he nodded. "The scepter is in the lab right now."

"Good," I rumbled.

Humming, I moved back from him and pushed my transformation to human. Following Steve back inside, I was greeted by the sight of everyone at the bar. Bruce and Tony had changed into regular clothes, while Thor, Hawkeye, Natasha and Steve were still in uniform.

"Well you all look lovely," I remarked.

"Oh, we missed you too," Clint smiled.

"Mmm," I chuckled. "How about you guys go shower and change, and I'll order take out."

"That...actually sounds wonderful," Thor sighed suddenly.

I nodded my head at them, and watched as they all left to go get cleaned up. Making a few quick phone calls, I ordered some take out for everyone. By the time they had made it back to the main lounge area, the food was delivered and everything set out. I watched them for a moment, and felt something shift in me. I needed to fly again, this time for a while.

"Are you ok?"

Glancing over, I watched Clint join me to grab a beer. "Yea," I shook the feeling. "I'll be all right."

Making sure, he then nodded and walked off. I joined them, and plopped down beside Steve. He looked at me for a brief moment, and then stuffed a bite full of food into his mouth. I snorted at him, hiding my amusement. They all ate like animals when they returned from missions. It was always amusing. Thor was probably the most amusing. Having heard stories from back when he was in Asgard, I would have enjoyed watching the people eat.

"How is that missing person case?" he asked, swallowing.

"He's alive," I said slowly. "I've found traces of him. But he keeps moving."

"At least he's alive," Steve murmured, glancing down at his food.

* * *

Several days later, Tony threw a party after he spent some time looking over the scepter that they had retrieved. He invited a bunch of people out, and Natasha happily put herself behind the bar. Maria Hill was there, along with Rhodes, who was a friend of Tony's. I had dressed up just enough, but stayed comfortable. I grabbed a strong drink from Natasha and joined the others around the couches and chairs. Steve smiled when he saw me, and offered me a place to sit down, so I took it.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, giving me a slight squeeze. "You've been flying a lot. You all right?"

"Fine," I smiled, looked at Thor as he set the hammer down.

"But it's a trick!" Clint declared, tilting his beer after he took a drink.

"Oh no, it's much more than that," Thor chuckled.

Clint squinted for a moment. "Uh, the whole whosoever be he worth shall haveth the power! Whatever man, it's a trick!"

Thor gave a dazzling smile. "Well please, be my guest."

"Come on," Tony grinned.

"Really?" Clint asked.

"Yeah!" Thor nodded, encouragingly and I snorted slightly.

Rhodes chuckled from behind the couch. "Oh this is going to be beautiful."

"Clint, you've had a rough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony said casually.

Clint glared at the billionaire and I bared my teeth in a smile, unable to help it, so his glare was turned toward me as well. He snorted then, and grabbed the hilt of the hammer, claiming it was still a trick. I was not surprised when he couldn't lift it. If it was from Odin himself, then no one other than Thor was going to be able to wield its power.

Once that was done, there was some banter among the others about trying it out, so we all laughed as the games began. I noticed Thor was thoroughly enjoying himself. I watched as it went through the line, and chuckled when Tony and James tried to lift it but couldn't. Steve grinned and finally jumped up from next to me to give it a go. I watched with great amusement when the hammer wiggled slightly. The smile on Thor's face disappeared for a second, but when Steve couldn't lift it, he grinned again at the man.

"Nothing," he laughed.

"And?" Tony demanded.

"Widow?" Bruce asked.

"Oh no...no. That's not a question that I need answered," she laughed, raising her drink.

"Kayden?" Tony grinned.

"You're hilarious. That thing would more than likely strike me," I snorted as Steve plopped down next to me.

"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged," Tony declared, making us laugh.

"You bet your ass," Clint snorted.

Maria gasped fakely. "Steve, he said a bad language word."

Steve sighed, looking at Tony. "Did you tell everyone about that?"

We all laughed freely at that, and I put my feet up to lean back against the couch. Steve patted my knee as Tony and Thor went back and forth about the handle, and ways Tony might be able to lift it.

"Yes, well that uh, a very, very interesting theory. But I have a better one," he grinned as he got up and picked up his weapon. "You're all not worthy."

Something suddenly made my hair stand on end, and I sat up a little straighter as a loud screeching noise went off. Everyone covered their ears, and the noise stopped moments later. Steve got to his feet slowly, and I tensed to the point where it was painful.

"Worthy...No...How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

Everyone jumped up and spun around to face the owner of the voice, and I watched as a pieced together Iron Man suit dragged itself forward. Steve's muscles all tensed dramatically and he moved a slow step forward.

"Stark."

"Jarvis," Tony murmured, but no answer came.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or...I was a dream?" the suit tapped itself.

"Reboot, Legionnaire, we got a buggy suit."

"There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled in...in strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve asked lowly.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But down in the real world we are faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor demanded.

I kept my body relaxed, but my eyes were anything but. They flared in anger, till I was suddenly shocked by what came from the suits mouth. Tony's voice, echoed through the room.

"I see a suit of armor around the world."

"Ultron," Bruce breathed.

"In the flesh," Ultron replied. "Or, no, not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?" Natasha asked.

"Peace in our time."

I snarled as Tony's Iron Legion bots broke through the walls and the floors, coming right for everyone. Steve kicked up the coffee table as a bot came flying out and it sent him flying anyway. It was amazing how many bots Tony had just kept coming, and I grunted as one hit me with the laser that it shot. Flipping back onto my feet, I ducked when Thor hit one with his hammer, and I broke one in half that was at his back.

"Stark!" Steve snarled, as he was thrown against a wall.

"One sec!" Tony cried.

I knew Tony was working hard to shut down the bots, but that wasn't working. I had briefly noticed that the scepter had been stolen. Ducking from one, I grunted as I was sent flying into another wall.

"Cap!"

Just as I got up, I went to brace myself when the shield cut through the bot in front of me. I caught it as quick as I could, and the breath was kicked out of me at the impact. Glaring at Steve, I threw it back to him. It had been absolute chaos as we had been fighting, while Ultron sat back and watched.

"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to..evolve?" Ultron announced. "With these? These puppets? There is only one path to peace. The Avengers extinction."

In his rage, Thor threw his hammer right at the bot, causing it to explode and go dead. He then swung and looked at me as he spun his hammer. For a moment, I thought he was going to attack, but he simply motioned for me to follow. We left the tower, and I shed my human form and followed the bot that had flown off. I knew the god was angry. He had every right to be. We flew, following the bot north, but after about a good hundred miles, we lost the trail. I couldn't even find the scent.

"I'm going to kill him," he snarled.

"Thor!" I protested, a low growl in my throat.

"I have to retrieve that scepter again. It shouldn't even be in human hands!" he roared, lightening flashing from his hammer.

"Agreed," I murmured softly.

He took a huge breath, but that didn't stop him from being angry. We flew back toward the tower, and I turned human and let him take me inside. When we landed, I silently followed him to the lab, where I knew they were.

"This...isn't strategy, this is...rage," Bruce murmured.

The door flew open as Thor charged in and I sighed quietly and stood off to the side. There was a lot of that going around today then. Thor stormed up to Tony and grabbed him by the throat. He easily lifted the man into the air, his face etched in anger.

"Woah! Woah! It's going around!" Clint exclaimed.

"Come on. Use your words, buddy," Tony tried to say calmly.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark," Thor snarled.

"Thor," Steve demanded. "The Legionnaire."

The god glared at Tony, arching a brow at me. I scoffed at him, and sighed. "Trail went cold about a hundred miles out. Heading north."

"And it has the scepter," Thor snarled. "And now we have to retrieve it. Again."

"The genie is out of that bottle," Natasha sighed, jerking her head. "The clear and present is Ultron."

Dr. Cho who had been with us slowly turned around, her expression pure disbelief. "You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?"

I tilted my head, giving her the benefit. It was a good question indeed. Tony had been staring at something, and from where he stood he started laughing. It was a soft chuckle, but one that had Bruce shaking his head in disagreement. Thor turned his attention back to Tony.

"You think this is funny?" he asked, his smile deadly.

Tony turned and looked at all of us, trying hard to not start laughing. He snortetd a little, and I went and moved away from the demigod, just in case he got angry. Steve glanced down at me when I came to stand near him.

"No," Tony snorted. "It's...probably not right? This is very terrible. Is this very terrible? I mean, is it?"

"This could have been avoided," Thor snapped, moving forward. "If you hadn't played with something you don't understand."

"No," Tony suddenly cut him off, and walked over to him. "I'm sorry. Sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this."

"Tony," Bruce warned quietly. "Maybe this isn't the time..."

"Really?" Tony demanded. "That's it? You just roll over and show your belly every time someone snarls."

"That wasn't a snarl," I said lowly, and Clint snorted a laugh.

"Only when I've created a murder bot," Bruce replied evenly.

"We didn't," Tony snapped. "Were we even close? Did we even come closer to an interface?"

Bruce shrugged a little as Steve stepped forward, cutting off their conversation.

"Well you did something right," Steve interrupted."And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different from Shield."

"Does anyone remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Tony glared. "Anyone? Saving New York. Does anyone remember that? A hostile alien army came through a wormhole and we were fighting 300 feet below it. That up there...that is the A game. How are we going to keep doing this?"

"Together," Steve replied quietly.

"We're going to lose," Tony answered, shaking his head.

"Then we'll do that together too," Steve arched his brow. "Thor is right, Ultron is calling us out. Now I'd like to find him as quick as possible. The world is a big place. Let's start making is smaller."

I watched Tony move off to the side, glaring down at something. Shifting quietly, I walked over to him and laid a hand on his arm, drawing his attention. I ignored the annoyed look he gave me, and instead I let my eyes go red for a moment.

"Sometimes, there is a moment in which you need to back down," I said quietly. "You cannot protect everything. Had this worked...that would be one thing. But it didn't, and this time it is your fault. Don't blame everyone else for your damn mistake. Not this time."

His mouth almost dropped open at my words, and everyone glanced at me when I turned and walked off. I wasn't about to take on an angry man just because his toy went the wrong way. Thor had been right, Tony didn't understand what he was dealing with.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

We spent the next 24 hours searching for where Ultron was headed, and I spent most of the time making sure that Thor didn't lose his composure. The god of Thunder spent much of the time searching as far as he could while the others did the research. I spent most of it with him, and several times he would release a fit of rage. From him alone, I received several terrible wounds. He broke a wing, ripped gashes along my scales and I was even struck by lightening.

At one point I had lost my temper, and had managed to strike him so hard with my tail that it took him almost twenty minutes to catch up to me. A rumbling growl left my jaws as I headed home, and I didn't speak to him the whole time. Ignoring his apologies, I landed and turned human. Storming inside, I slammed the doors in his face and went to the lab. Maria looked up in surprise at my entrance, but tried hard to ignore the mood I was in.

"Please tell me you have something," I snarled at Maria.

"Yes," she nodded.

"What happened?" Steve demanded, coming slowly into view.

"Oh, Kayden come on, I said how much I regret…." Thor trailed off.

I looked at Tony when he turned and he flinched at the red in my eyes. "This is your fault," I growled. "This whole damn situation!"

A hand came down hard on my shoulder and squeezed, making me glance behind me. Steve shook his head gently at me, and I rumbled loudly in anger. I shrugged away from him and gave a head shake of my own. The quick look of surprise that flashed across his face almost got me, but I was beyond angry.

"I'm not a part of this," I hissed. "If you have need of me...then you can call me."

Steve gave me a bewildered look, and I almost threw Thor from my way. Leaving the room, I headed up toward my apartment when I heard running footsteps. Scenting the air, I sighed loudly and stopped. He didn't know when to leave things alone. Part of me admired him for that, while the rest of me hated him for it.

"What?" I growled. "I'm more beast than human right now."

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Steve demanded, coming around the front of me.

I glared at him for a moment. "Well, for one he used me as a punching bag. Or a lightening pole...and two...this was never my fight. I didn't...I did not sign up for this..."

"We never asked you to sign up for anything," he murmured.

I blinked at him, realizing he was letting me off the hook. For the last three years, I had helped them and gone to their aid when needed. I never wanted to be a part of this, but I owed them something. They kept me safe from the world, but they were also the reason I was known about. Had I never shown my true form in New York, I knew I'd still be living as a normal person. As normal as someone like me could get anyway.

"No, you didn't," I replied coldly. "Where are you headed?"

"South Africa," Steve murmured. "I'm sorry it came to this for you."

My vision went red for a few moments, and I inhaled a huge breath of air to keep myself calm. I closed my eyes, and focused before opening them again to focus on the man in front of me. For whatever reason, I couldn't abandon him. He always had that air about him, that what he did was all that mattered. He believed in standing up for what was right, and for protecting the innocent. A dragon was never like that, and yet slowly I had begun to care about every single one of these little humans. They had shown me what it meant to be loyal to someone. I grunted a little in my frustration.

"If you need me...think of me," I murmured, and reached out to hug him.

He returned it fiercely, and pressed a kiss to my temple. I retreated and went to my apartment as fast as I could. Shutting the door, I pressed my back against it and let the growl rip through my chest. They left within the hour, and for once I wasn't sure whether I should follow them or just do as I had said. I wasn't purely a part of this. I had become involved with what had happened with Steve, but that was it. Did I really want to go into this now?

* * *

I slept for a few hours, before something seemed wrong to me. The others had a couple hours on me, but something was churning in my stomach. It had me leaping from the top of the tower, and turning into a dragon. Pushing myself into the sky, I soared above the clouds and pushed myself as fast as my wings could carry me. Instinct overpowered my body, and I roared loudly.

 _Help…_

I flinched at the voice in my mind, and I knew exactly who it was. After the first year, I had formed my link with Steve. The connection I had to his mind was for emergencies just like this. It could come in handy. Magic was always silly like that. My red eyes narrowed in anger and I pushed myself to my limits. I didn't know how much time was wasted, all I knew was that it was too much time.

 _Help…_

Red was all I saw and another roar left my jaws and I pushed even harder. Following the call, I took a dive from the clouds once I was close and fire spewed from my jaws in my fit of rage. They were in a large ship salvage yard, and I looked over as Tony blasted into the air and away from where we were. I heard a familiar roar, and shifted slightly when I recognized it as Hulk's. I went to go help Tony, when my mind pulsed again.

I was human and running into the ship that was smoking. I assumed that was the one they were in, and I found Steve lying on his back at the foot of some stairs. I came down next to him, and laid my hand on his cheek. He blinked a few times, but didn't see me. I gave a low growl, and my eyes went red. I had never experienced anything like this with him, and I knew something was very wrong. Just knowing that Tony had gone after Bruce set something off.

"Look at me," I ordered, and he did. "Are you with me?"

"Kayden?" he breathed.

"You called," I whispered.

"You're...you're here?" he asked.

"I am," I nodded and helped him sit up. "Are you okay?"

"I..."

He didn't answer, and I glanced up to see Clint coming down the steps carrying Natasha. She looked just about as rough as Steve did. My teeth ground together as he stopped, but his expression held relief. I relaxed my shoulders a little, and then slowly rose to my feet to see him.

"Hey," Clint murmured.

"Where is Thor?" I asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Get to the jet?" I rumbled, and he nodded. "Steve?"

"I'm good," he managed to nod, and he got to his feet with my help.

I watched them go, and turned around and headed further into the ship. Going up one more flight of stairs, I found Thor on his hands and knees. They all were beat up, and my heart clenched painfully. I could have helped them. Cautiously, I approached Thor who was still gripping his hammer tightly.

"Thor," I rumbled. "We need to leave."

He blinked, and glanced at me for a moment. "Kayden?"

"Yea, said this wasn't my fight," I tilted my head. "I'm real. Steve called me."

He relaxed slightly, and nodded his head. "We need to go."

"Yes," I nodded.

He followed me after I helped him to his feet. Walking out of the ship and into the sunlight, I hurried him to the jet as quick as I could. Tony came in not too long after, Bruce in his arms. His mask came up, and Tony looked at me in surprise. I wasn't sure how to react to him, so instead, I moved to protect them as the door was still open. Turning my head, I made sure everyone was on when sudden gunfire went off. I swung around to see what was going on, and watched at least ten men run out at us. I barely flinched at the bullets that hit me, and instead I charged forward. I took my dragon form in seconds, and sent everyone scattering. Letting out a vicious roar, I breathed another tongue of flame down on them. I didn't care if they died or not.

Turning back as the jet rose into the air, I gave a good few pumps of my wings and dove forward. As I approached the jet, I turned human and relief hit me when Thor reached out to grab my arm so I wouldn't fall. I gave him a grateful look as he yanked me inside. The door closed the rest of the way and soon we were flying high, out of reach. I took the moment to glance at everyone, and my expression fell.

"Stealth mode," Clint announced.

I glanced around at everyone, taking in how beat up they were. It was absolutely silent on the jet, and Thor was rubbing his hands together and pacing. I had never seen the god of thunder do that before, so it made me uneasy. The look on Steve's face was no better. Tony leaned forward, making a quick call back to headquarters to check in.

"The news is loving you guys," Maria said from the video screen. "Nobody else is. There has been no official call for Banners arrest, but there is talk of it."

"Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony murmured.

"Already on site," she answered. "How's the team?"

"Everyone is…." Tony trailed off as he glanced at the others. "We took a hit. We'll shake it off."

"Well for now I'd stay in stealth mode, and stay away from here," Maria advised.

"So, run and hide?"

"I don't have much else to offer," she sighed softly.

"Yea...neither do we."

I was not pleased with that call, and to hear discouragement in Tony's voice upset me. He was always ready to bounce back or do something. Even though I was mad at him, I couldn't continue being so. There were far bigger things to worry about. Turning my head, I walked up to Clint.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

"Mind games," Clint said quietly as he flew the jet. "There were two mutants there. One moved fast, and the other….she had mind powers. She got into everyone's head...screwed with them some how. They're only kids..."

"Great," I sighed. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe," he murmured.

I nodded. "Okay."

Getting to my feet, I stopped when Clint grabbed my wrist, making me look at him. I couldn't read his expression right away, and part of me was uneasy. Should I have stayed back at home?

"Thanks for showing up," he murmured. "I know this isn't your fight, but still. Heard from Thor, dragons don't give their loyalty easily."

"No, they don't," I muttered. "But you're welcome."

He gave me a grateful look, and let go of me. I walked off from him, and went over to sit by Steve. He jumped only slightly when I joined him and I reached out and touched his arm. The proud warrior I knew him to be was no where in sight. He was always walking around with confidence, even when he didn't understand something. I didn't enjoy the side affects I was seeing from everyone.

"Just me."

"You...you showed up," he murmured.

"I don't do that for just anyone," I sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Steve sighed.

I gave him a pained look and sighed quietly at his answer. Steve leaned his head back, and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't open them for the whole flight to wherever we were going. I guarded him, keeping my human form just in case we landed. At one point, Steve reached out and I let him grab my hand. I sighed quietly, and gripped it back, allowing him to turn my knuckles white from time to time.

* * *

 **Sorry this took so long to get out! Been a little busy! Enjoy!**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Around dawn, we landed in a wooded area that overlooked a large farm house. It was a beautiful piece of property, out in the middle of no where. I looked out the window for a moment, and then at Clint when he got to his feet. He looked at me, and sighed quietly before going over to Natasha. Everyone followed him in silence, and I brought up the rear. I was aware of the confusion going through everyone, but I figured we'd be safe here.

"What is this place?" Thor asked, as we got onto the deck.

"A safe house?" Tony replied, questioning his answer.

"Let's hope," Clint said, opening the door.

I walked into the house after everyone and glanced around the place. Steve and Thor were both quieter than usual, and I found myself paying a little more attention to them. Smoothly moving around them, I stood by Thor and Steve. I looked around the house again, and for a moment I didn't believe that this could be Clint's place, but I've been fooled before.

"Honey?" Clint called. "I'm home!"

A very pregnant woman walked into view, coming around the corner and she smiled at Clint as he walked forward. He gave her kind of a sheepish look, and leaned down to kiss her. I fell absolutely silent, surprised as everyone when he kissed her. I forced myself to quickly get over the surprise before us.

"Hi," he smiled. "Sorry, I brought company."

Tony blinked several times, and glanced at Thor. "This is an agent of some kind," he said quietly.

"Gentlemen, ladies," Clint smiled. "This is Laura."

Laura smiled back at us. "I know all your names," she chuckled softly.

I jumped at the sound of running footsteps and watched as two children ran into view. Clint grinned, and reached out to hug them both. It was easy to see this was his family, I knew it the moment I walked in, but seeing it was something else entirely. Steve glanced down with a surprised looked, and he promptly shut his mouth. Thor and Banner tried to act like everything was normal, while Tony seemed to be going a little crazy.

"These are...smaller agents of some kind..." he grunted, and Clint had to explain why we didn't know about them.

Clint smiled as his daughter hugged him tightly. He wrapped an arm around her and I wrapped my arms around myself a little. This was a little odd. Steve glanced back toward me just for a moment, so I met his gaze with an arch of my brow. He gave a nod, obviously feeling the same before he looked forward again.

"Did you bring Auntie Nat?" she asked.

"Well why don't you hug her and find out?"

It was a cute little reunion, and I saw that it brought her out of whatever state she had been in. Pursing my lips, I shifted slightly next to Steve and sighed softly. It was nice seeing them all interact, because after what had happened, I was sure they all needed a break from it. I looked down when Thor stepped on some legos, and I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. He looked down, obviously bothered by something. It didn't take him long to walk out and soon he was gone. Answers to whatever he had seen? That girl must have some real powerful mind tricks to affect him like that. When Steve didn't immediately come back in, I knew he was affected more than he let on.

"Are you the dragon lady?"

I jumped, and looked down at the little girl who came over to me. "I am," I smiled gently.

"Oooh!" she squealed. "Is it true you can really turn into one?!"

I opened my mouth and shut it, before looking to her parents. Kids always caught me off guard, and I had no idea how to act with them. Clint came to my rescue instantly.

"That she is, darlin," he grinned. "But she just saved our butts a few hours ago. Let her rest, maybe she'll show you what a dragon looks like later."

I gave him an extremely grateful look as he ushered the kids away from me. Turning my head, I watched as Steve quietly came in to go and shower. The others quietly took the advice, and also got ready to clean up. I waited till mostly everyone was done before I decided I wanted the same. As I headed to the foot of the stairs, and all my energy wore off I shuddered slightly. I sucked in a breath, and glanced down at the front of my shirt to see the blood that was there. I tilted my head, remembering I had been shot. A rumble left my chest, and turned into an irritated groan.

"Oh...damn it to hell," I muttered, as I shifted uncomfortably.

As I turned to walk up the stairs, I glanced up to see that Clint was walking down. He said something over his shoulder, and when I looked to see who he was talking to, I sighed. Clint glanced back toward me again, and his eyebrow arched. I stared at him for a long moment, willing him not to say anything, but the man never failed me.

"You going to get that looked at?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, ignoring the question.

"Cap?"

"Hmm?" Steve asked, and glanced around Clint's back.

His eyebrows also rose, so I had to look at the shirt again. There was more blood than I remembered and it made me sigh. I waved my hand at them both, and skirted around them. Now that the adrenaline was gone, I could feel the throbbing pain. The bullets had not been removed. Going to shut the door, I jumped when Steve's hand stopped it. I immediately retreated to the other side. He said nothing to me, as he pulled out a pair of large tweezers from a first aid kit. Eying him cautiously, I glared when he turned back toward me.

"Lift," he ordered.

"I can do this myself," I said stubbornly, and he looked at me.

"Lift," he repeated. "You will get blood everywhere."

I snarled at him, but at the look he gave me, I paused and lifted my shirt to reveal my belly. Steve walked over and inspected the bullets that were not healing. I hissed in pain when he removed one, and I had to reach out to grab his shoulder. It hurt a little more than I had thought, and it made me suck in a breath. If I had been a dragon, those tiny little bullets would have done nothing to me. I had been too late to transform for that.

"Ow," I hissed, and he sighed.

"I've got three more," he informed. "And one has healed over."

I stayed as still as possible as he pulled out the last remaining bullets. He saved the one that had healed for last. When Steve glanced up at me, no words had to be spoken. Gritting my teeth in annoyance and pain, I let my nail turn into a claw and I slowly pierced the skin so that he could remove it. I forced myself not to make a sound as he pulled the last bullet out, but I couldn't help the rush of breath that left me.

"Thank you," I grunted, unable to help the tone of my voice.

Standing up, Steve threw the last bullet into the trash. I had forced myself to let go of him, and I closed my eyes. The water turned on, and the door shut just seconds later. When I opened my eyes, he was gone. Letting out a soft breath, I listened to the running water as I stripped. I didn't take long, and I noticed a fresh pair of clothes had been laid out on the counter.

I blinked gratefully, and quietly pulled them on. Running my fingers through my hair, I threw it into a french braid and leaned against the sink for a moment. My body had finished healing in the shower, and now I was a little tired and my stomach hurt. It felt raw from the freshly healed wounds. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I finally gathered myself and walked out. Heading toward the kitchen, I sighed. Natasha smiled at me when I sat next to her.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"No..." I sighed. "Bothered. But that's not important. How are you?"

"I'm..." she paused at my look. "I have been better."

Reaching out, I laid a hand on her shoulder. "Who you are now, and what you stand for now is what matters."

She gave me a slight smile, and I got to my feet and walked outside. Stretching, I looked up at the sun that was shining down and watched as Tony and Steve started to chop wood. Clint was helping fix something on the deck with his son and I smiled. Humming, I walked down to Tony and Steve and hopped up on the fence to watch them. Tony looked up at me, and gave me his best smile. It was strained, but he was trying and it made me sigh gently.

"Do you know where Thor went to get answers?" Tony asked, looking to Steve.

"Sometimes my team mates don't tell me things," Steve sighed. "I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception."

"Yea..." Tony murmured. "Give him time. We don't know what the Maximoff kid showed him."

Steve sighed, and put his ax in the stump as he grabbed another piece of wood to chop. "I don't know what she showed you. I just know it made you do something stupid. The Earth's mightiest heroes, and he pulled us apart like cotton candy..."

It was hard not to snort at his little jab toward Tony, but he was absolutely right in that regard. It did make Tony do something stupid. I still wasn't exactly sure what games had been played in their head, but it screwed with them. Part of me wished I had been there so I could have shredded her for attempting to do what she had done.

Tony looked up. "Well you seemed to have walked away all right."

"Is that a problem?" Steve asked.

"I don't trust a guy without a dark side," Tony replied casually. "Call me old fashioned."

"Well let's just say you haven't seen it yet," Steve rumbled, arching his brow.

"You know Ultron's trying to tear us apart right?"

Steve snorted. "Well I'd guess you'd know. Now if you'd tell us is another matter."

"Banner and I were doing research," Tony glared.

"That would affect the team," Steve replied flatly.

"That would end the team! Isn't that the mission?! Isn't that the why we fight? So we can end it?" Tony demanded. "So we can go home!?"

I watched the muscles in Steve's back ripple, and he grabbed a log and split it with his hands, obviously angry. I shifted quietly on my perch, and watched them closely. I had never seen him angry before, and I wasn't sure I wanted to face that just yet.

"Every time someone tries to end a war before it starts, innocent people die," Steve said coldly. "Every time."

I had to agree with him on that. Tony was always so driven to try and fix something that didn't need fixing yet. If he had just left it alone, this wouldn't be happening, and we wouldn't be here hiding right now.

"I'm sorry...Mr. Stark," Laura said quietly, walking over. "Clint said you are good with machines. Our tractor won't start, do you mind looking at it?"

"Yeah I'll give it a kick," Tony nodded, and put his ax down. He looked at the Captain and walked off. "Don't take from my pile."

* * *

 **UltimateGoham- I'm glad you are enjoying the dragon stuff in this. It's extremely fun to write about, and a little challenging. But, I won't disappoint, it gets better!**

 **Twifan1987 - ;)**

 **Review?!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Steve watched Tony walk off, and I jumped when the ax suddenly slammed down onto another piece of wood. He continued on for several more, and I listened in silence as he slammed the ax down so hard it broke the log he was using to chop wood. Steve paused for a moment, and left the ax on the broken log. Putting his hands on his hips, he took a huge breath. I quietly cleared by throat, bringing his attention toward me. I had never truly seen him upset, but the glare he gave was pretty impressive. Any human would have backed down from him. Thankfully, the glare he gave only had me arching my brow.

"Easy, Cap," I sighed. "Listen, Tony is going to do what he's going to do. That never, ever is going to change. He's a big pain, and he can be extremely hard to deal with but that's something we're going to have to just accept that."

"I had to change," he growled, walking over as I hopped down from the fence. "It's time that he does too, frankly."

I gave him a slight smile, and patted his arm gently. "Don't let it get to your head."

He sighed again, and let out a large breath after several minutes. When I knew he was all right, I took my hand from his arm. Steve looked down for a few moments, before turning back toward me. I gave him a gentle look and went and leaned against the fence, looking over the rolling hills and woods that surrounded this place. He joined me, resting his elbows on the top of the fence.

"It's beautiful out here," I sighed.

"You didn't have to come when I called you," he rumbled, getting right to the point.

I looked at him sharply. "If I had called to you for help, you would not have hesitated. You are important to me. I will not hesitate to help you should you need it, not after all you did for me. All you continue doing for me."

"Nah, it's not like I did that much," he hummed.

"Oh shut it," I grumbled. "Yes you did. You took me in, and that speaks enough."

He looked at me, his eyebrow arching slightly. I sighed dramatically and wrapped my arms around one of his. Pressing my forehead against his bicep, I gave his arm a brief squeeze before I had to retreat. Going into the trees, I pushed a transformation, keeping it about twenty feet and folded my wings tightly. I laid down just inside the treeline and heard the kids squeal with excitement when my red eyes glowed. I grumbled to myself. They had spotted me.

"Can we?!" Clint's daughter cried.

"I'll go with and we can ask," Clint sighed.

I tensed, and noticed when Steve walked over to join them, abandoning his wood pile. He gave me a gentle look and stood by my shoulder when Clint approached with his kids. The fact that the man trusted me, warmed my heart and eased my mind. I found myself relaxing a little, just knowing Clint trusted me. I wouldn't harm his kids, we all knew that. Children always had fascinated me.

"Sorry."

"Kids," I chuckled, as they gasped.

I let them come forward to touch my scales, and decided to play along with all their demands. Steve stood with Clint once I relaxed, and I gave the children my full attention. I opened my wing so they could see it and touch the leathery skin, and even opened my jaws so they could see my teeth. His son touched a sharp tooth, and the noise that came from him almost had me laughing.

"Can you breathe fire!?" his son grinned.

In answer, I shot smoke from my nostrils and he gaped in amazement. I chuckled, and let them hug my muzzle before their father finally ushered them off. I watched them go, and my expression warmed. They were so innocent, stuck in their own world. They had no idea what was really out there, what kind of terrible place the world could actually be.

"Thanks, Kayden."

"Of course," I smiled gently.

Steve arched his brow in amusement when I rumbled, and he reached out to pat my nose. "Why this?" he asked.

I gave him a narrowed glance, "Sometimes, you humans make me feel things I really don't want to feel," I murmured. "Plus, I gave all the advice I could."

He chuckled at that, and crossed his arms as he watched Tony and Fury walk out of the barn about twenty minutes later. I also lifted my head, aware of the man, and I tilted my head. If he was here, that wasn't a good thing. Blowing smoke out my nostrils, I slowly got to my feet and pushed my transformation into human. From the little while that I had been in dragon form, I was feeling a little better.

"Well, I'm hungry and I'm sure he's going to call a meeting..." I sighed, and Steve smiled.

"Most likely."

"Are you sure you are okay?" I asked, turning to him.

He paused at the question, and he looked down and sighed. "I will be okay," he said quietly. "Thank you."

I nodded, and walked with him to the house. Once inside, I walked into the kitchen where Laura was starting to prepare dinner. Deciding to make myself useful, I joined her with a polite smile. This would help calm my nerves. I did enjoy cooking from time to time. Helping her meant I could keep my hands busy and my mind focused on what needed to be done.

"What can I do?" I asked, and she smiled.

"Can you make the salad?" she answered, while she peeled potatoes.

"Of course," I nodded.

"Any chance we can get some coffee?" Steve asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Help yourself," Laura smiled.

I set myself to work on cutting up everything needed for the salad. It was easy to get familiar with the kitchen, and I finished what she wanted done. I moved it off to the side, and then set to work on cleaning up any mess I had made. She gave me a few other things to do, and lastly, I was setting the large dining table for dinner. She had made a turkey, with potatoes, corn, salad and rolls for dinner. I had to hand it to her, she knew how to prepare for an army.

Letting out a soft sigh, I made some tea and set it on the table along with a pitcher of water. Laura moved aside when Clint came in to lift the turkey out of the oven after hours of cooking, and he set it on a platter and cut it. Once dinner was ready, we all sat down and ate. For once, it was nice to have a home cooked meal. It was an easy silence that fell upon the table and we spoke every now and again. I knew everyone was tired.

After dinner, I set to work on helping load the dishwasher, and clean the dishes that wouldn't fit. Laura sighed gratefully when I told her to go sit down. She happily took the advice, and went to relax.

"Ultron took you guys out of play to buy himself time," Fury finally said. "My contacts say he's building something. The amount of vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asked.

"Oh he's easy to track," Fury replied. "He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. It still doesn't help us get an angle at any of his plans though."

I snorted in soft laughter, and Fury gave me a slight smile for it. Tony was shooting darts, obviously thinking about something. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was going through that head of his. The reason why we were here was because of that stupid brain. Leaning back in my chair, I sighed.

"Is he still going after the launch codes?" Tony finally asked.

"Yes he is," Fury nodded. "But he's not making any headway."

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare," Tony snorted, turning back to us.

"Well I asked our friends at the Nexus about that," Fury hummed.

"Nexus?" Steve asked, turning his head.

"It's the world internet hub in Oslo, every byte of data flows through there," Bruce said, looking up. "Fastest access on earth."

"So what'd they say?" Clint asked, looking at a dart.

"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed," Fury answered, filling his glass with tea.

"By whom?" Tony asked, looking at him, and jumped when a dart hit the bullseye.

"Parties unknown," Fury sighed, while I chuckled at Barton.

"Do we have an ally?" I asked, looking back at Fury.

"Ultron's got an enemy, that's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is," Fury sighed.

Tony walked forward and leaned against the counter. "I might need to visit Oslo, find our "unknown"."

I put the pans away quietly as Natasha sighed in defeat. I glanced at her and saw her looking helplessly at the table, before smiling and tilting her head up to Fury.

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that," she said, obviously irritated.

"I do," Fury replied, giving her a smile. "I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit, and our will to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. Whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All of this...laid in the grave."

Everyone fell silent at his words, and I folded the towel and put it down on the counter quietly. He did have a very good point on that. I wasn't there for the start of the team, but I was there after it was formed. Over the last three years they had become close to one another.

"So stand," Fury rumbled. "Outwit the platinum bastard."

Natasha arched her brow as she glanced across the table. "Steve doesn't like that kind of talk."

"You know what, Romanoff," Steve replied, crossing his arms with a light smile.

She smiled at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. I grabbed a cup of coffee, and leaned against the counter by Clint as he sat down on a stool. He glanced at me as he twirled another dart in his hand, and I gave him a slight glare.

"So, what does he want?" Fury asked.

"To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies," Steve answered.

"Person bodies. The human form is ineffcient, biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back," Tony added, moving forward.

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed," Natasha said flatly.

Bruce quietly walked forward, looking at a drawing that was on the table. He touched the piece of paper, and when I leaned forward a bit, and saw it was a picture of a butterfly. I tilted my head in surprise, catching what he was suddenly thinking.

"They don't need to be protected, they need to evolve," he said quietly. "Ultron is going to evolve."

"How?" I asked, looking over.

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"

That was quite the surprise. All of us glanced at one another, and I knew they had not spoken to her. After that, everyone slowly faded into rooms to go to sleep for the night. There was nothing they could do just yet. They needed to sleep first. Natasha took the couch, and Banner got comfortable in a large recliner. I didn't stay in the house long, and instead I made my way outside.

The stars were out in all their glory tonight. It was nice to see them without all the light pollution from the city. It made me miss places like this, where nature was so visible. In the distance I could hear the coyotes howling, and animals began to move around. Leaning on the railing, I sighed quietly to myself. This war with Ultron was going to get someone killed. There was no way all of us were going to get out of it.

I felt my teeth grind together as I found myself making a choice. I wasn't going to let them go into battle without my help. Not that I could provide much help, but I could give them something. Looking back up at the sky, I listened as the door opened and shut quietly. I didn't bother turning around, I knew it was Steve. I had heard him shifting in the bed he had been offered. He leaned on the railing next to me, and bumped his shoulder lightly against mine.

"Everything okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," I nodded. "Everything is fine. I'm not tired."

"You and me both..."

"I think you are a little scared to go to bed," I hummed, and watched him tense. "She really screwed with your head didn't she? This...mind girl?"

"She hit us all pretty bad," he admitted quietly.

"I wish I had been there to stop it," I murmured. "I'm sorry..."

"No, you were right, this wasn't something you had signed up for," Steve sighed. "You never wanted this...the fighting and all that. You had been trying to get away from it all."

"The difference is who I'm fighting for," I answered. "Fighting for you is much easier than just fighting to fight. You give me a purpose, while before I just did it for blood."

Steve looked at me quietly when he heard what I had said, and I sighed. Reaching out, I wrapped my arms around one of his and leaned against him in silence. I had no words to give him that was going to help, I only had my company. Mind games were no laughing matter. They brought up dreams, or terrors and it would haunt the person for a short time. I could imagine all of them had things they didn't want to remember, or many things they had feared or still do. Steve looked down for a moment, and then reached up with his other hand and laid it over mine.

"Thanks, D," he rumbled. "For coming to help, and for just...knowing when to not say anything."

"You're welcome," I replied softly.

We stood there for a while longer, before I finally extracted myself from him. I ignored how nice it had been, to have that kind of contact. He stood up fully when I moved away. Turning my head, I smiled at him.

"I'm going to head home," I murmured. "From the sounds of it, you are all going on another mission, and I'd like to get the tower cleaned up. No one has touched it. So, let me know what's going to happen?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Be careful...please."

"Anyone who'd try to catch me would be foolish," I grinned, my eyes glowing.

Walking forward, I laid a hand on his chest gently and patted it. He lowered his head quietly, and then reached out and drew me into a tight hug. I chuckled softly, and let him have the contact. When he stepped back, I hopped off the porch and transformed.

"Please be careful," I rumbled, and he nodded. "And do not fear sleep. Nothing will haunt you if you don't give it the power. Remember that."

I flew home once I got my sense of direction and made it a quick flight. Barton's house had truly been in the middle of no where. Fury had done a good job at keeping them off the grid. It had really been nice to see. Through all the crazy and all the battles, someone was attempting to live a normal life. I wasn't sure what time it was when I got to the avengers tower, but when I did I decided on forcing myself into a deep sleep. A dragon could sleep for ages if they wanted to. I loved to sleep, but I tried to keep it normal, human like. If I slept regularly, I noticed I had an easier time shifting more. Being in dragon form was natural. The human form was a skin, a cover. I enjoyed it at least. It also kept my strong in a way. The more rest, the stronger my magic. Basic as it was, it was still helpful. I could control my size in dragon form, if my true size was too large to help. Sleep came easily that night.

* * *

 **Not many reviews last time...I do hope you all are enjoying this. I know you all are reading it! Give me some love! :)**

 **Until next time**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Banner came back to the tower a few hours after I had woken up, and I watched him walk up to the bar in silence. He still appeared extremely upset, and I grabbed him a beer and cooked something up for us both to eat. I didn't want to draw attention to the tower, so I avoided take-out. I kept a casual eye on him as he drank his beer, and for a moment, I thought I saw his eye twitch. He knew I was watching.

"Are you all right?" I asked, glancing over at him.

"I really hate that question," he muttered.

I looked at him gently as I made the plates for us. I had just thrown together some spaghetti, it had been easy. Handing him a fork, I sighed and sat down. He thanked me quietly as he sat down. Picking at his food for a moment, he then dug in and started eating. It was lunch time anyway, and I figured something to fill us up would be nice. I looked at him again, and tilted my head.

"Listen, I'm not going to try lecture you," I sighed. "I'm your friend, and I'm here. But for what it's worth, please don't let this destroy you. You beat yourself up, and so does Hulk because of what you did. Trust me when I say that's nothing compared to what I've done. At least you felt bad. You are not a monster."

"I really don't want to..." Bruce paused, and glanced up at me when I stopped talking.

"You aren't," I finished, and took a bite of my food. "I am. You aren't. You didn't have a choice, Bruce. Both of you didn't. You were attacked, and messed with. I had a choice and I still did what I did. So please, for my sake do not beat yourself up."

"I appreciate the words," Bruce sighed quietly.

"Of course," I nodded.

I finished my food, and helped him clean up the area the bots had attacked us just days ago. We swept up all the glass, threw out the things that got destroyed and even properly disposed of the bots that had been left over. When I was done, I went to keep watch after Bruce fell asleep. He had told me what the others were up to, and I wanted to be prepared. I wasn't happy about the others fighting Ultron, but they had wanted to do something. Tony arrived just before dawn, and he and Bruce got to work on cleaning up the lab.

"Cap, Natasha and Clint went to stall Ultron," Tony said quickly. "Trying to uh, grab the box that apparently has Ultron's form in it."

"That sounds like more fun," I grunted.

"Oh, you don't like being stuck in the house?" he mused, and I arched a brow at him. "Look, it'll be fine. They'll be back and we can finish this."

I wasn't exactly sure what I heard in his tone. Something was off about him, but I couldn't exactly tell what. I didn't know Tony well enough to read his moods like that. The man was all over the place anyway, so it was hard to filter through what was going on in his head. He switched attitudes so much it was a little crazy. Turning away from them, I walked out of the lab.

The Quinjet landed in the middle of the afternoon and I walked out to see that Clint was the only one on the plane. I was expecting to at least see Steve and Natasha with him. He had a large holding box, carrying something important. I glanced at it, but narrowed my eyes at the man when he go up. He didn't look pleased, so I dropped my guard just a little. I wasn't sure what it meant that Steve and Natasha were missing.

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

"Ultron has Nat. Steve sent me off once I had this. I'm not sure where he's at," Clint answered quietly. "Can you help me get this inside?"

"What about Steve?" I demanded, helping him push the cradle off the jet.

"He told me to get this thing here. He got held up, I have no idea," Clint sighed.

"Great," I muttered.

I silently helped him get it inside, and watched as Tony and Banner hooked the thing up to their equipment. Something felt wrong, but I shook the feeling off a little. Clint was furious that Natasha was missing, and I couldn't blame him. Those two had been working together for a good number of years now, if I was right. With Steve and Thor also missing, this didn't make anything better.

"Maybe she's sending out an underground signal?" I offered. "Something off the grid?"

"Right," Clint nodded. "If she is, I'll find it."

I gave him an encouraging smile, and watched the tests being run on the tomb. It was holding something powerful, I knew that. I didn't exactly trust Tony when it came to things like this. The last time he did this, he had made Ultron. I sat outside the lab for a few hours, trying to figure out what was going on. My instincts were screaming that whatever was going on in the lab was wrong. I couldn't exactly act on it. After three hours of sitting, I had to shift and get more comfortable.

A rumble left my throat when suddenly my mind pulsed painfully. I blinked, and saw red for a moment, and it pulsed again. This wasn't Steve trying to reach me, it was someone else. I growled softly, and moved back away from the window so that Bruce and Tony couldn't see me. Focusing, I let who ever was trying to get to me in.

 _Stall them._

I hissed lowly, and decided on listening to the voice. It was a girl, and her accent was Russian. I could only assume it was the girl with the mind powers. To have been able to find me was pretty impressive. No one could find me without some help. I blinked then. Steve must be with them. Turning swiftly, I walked to the stairs and down into the lab. Tony swung around when I opened the door.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What? I came to ask what the plan is with this," I answered, immediately getting defensive. "Is that not okay?"

"Well, I mean yea that's fine," Tony answered slowly.

"Clint said you are trying to destroy that," I mused, walking over. "It doesn't look like you two are doing that."

Tony immediately came over, and Banner looked up slowly. I had to smile at them, and I ran a hand through my hair and grunted. The only one I had to be wary of was Bruce. Last time I checked, Hulk liked me so I could get lucky. I glared at Tony as he approached, and shifted my stance. Bruce stayed exactly where he was, not moving toward me, or away from me. I didn't know if that was a good sign or not.

"You two are the dumbest men alive," I growled. "The last time you two did this, it ended badly."

"Yea but this time we are putting Jarvis into it," Tony grinned. "It'll be worth it, D. You'll see."

"I'm having a hard time at the moment," I snorted, moving around the room.

"You have three minutes to upload that schematic," Banner said quietly.

Tony stood quietly at the computer, and looked at me. My eyes went red, threatening him. If he did this, I'd destroy the whole building and he knew I'd make good on that threat. At my threat, he looked at me desperately. He really thought if he did this, he'd make everything better. I wanted to hit him over the head for it.

"Kayden please," he breathed.

The sound of a door opening and a boot coming down caught my attention. I took in Steve's scent, followed by two new ones. The fact that I had caught their attention long enough was good. At least I had done something right. Stalling them long enough for back up, had me feeling a little more comfortable. Steve usually was the ones giving orders, so maybe this would work.

"I'm going to say this once."

"How about nonce," Tony smiled.

"Shut it down, Stark," Steve ordered.

"Nope, not gonna happen," Tony shook his head.

"You don't know what you are doing," the girl said.

"Oh and you do?" Banner snapped. "You sure she's not in your head?"

"I know you are angry," she said quietly.

"Oh, I'm way past angry. I could choke the life out of you and not even change a shade," Banner answered lowly.

"Banner, after everything that's happened," Steve murmured.

"This is nothing compared to what's coming!" Tony protested.

"You don't even know what's in there!" I snarled.

"This isn't a game," Steve shook his head.

"The creature…."

Suddenly, the young man rushed forward and destroyed the lab equipment. He looked around pleased with himself, and I moved a step back. I had to say that was pretty impressive. I couldn't even move that fast. Part of me wanted to growl in jealousy, and the other in irritation.

"No, no go ahead," he said. "You were saying."

A gun shot made all of us jump a little, and I turned my head to see Clint firing a bullet from bellow. The glass broke beneath the mans' feet and he fell. As he hit the ground, Clint stepped on his hip and put a little pressure on it. I saw the amused look on his face for a moment, before he glanced up at the situation. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on.

"Pietro!"

I put the name with him and nodded, not at all impressed. I turned my head back as Tony started to reroute the code, and Steve gave me one glance before he threw his shield. I wasn't expecting them to fight like this, and it threw me off. Banner leaped forward to grab the girl, throwing her in a choke hold. Tony blasted Steve back with help of his Iron Man suit. That put me in motion, and a snarl or rage left my lips. I charged him as he went after Steve again, and I knocked him from his feet. Tony jumped back up, and looked at me.

"Don't make me do this," he murmured.

I planted myself firmly in front of Steve who was slowly pushing himself up. He didn't hesitate and immediately shot a blast forward, but I was ready. Snatching the shied up, I held it in front of me and let the blast simply bounce off. Rushing him, I gave him a firm shove that sent him many feet back. I didn't want to hurt him, but if he actually tried to harm me or Steve, I'd tear him apart. That thought alone surprised me.

"Wow," he grunted.

"I see where your loyalty lies," I hissed.

"It's nothing personal," Tony murmured.

"No, it never is. You still use the excuse that it's for the greater good," I growled.

I threw him back again as Steve came to my side, and I handed over his shield. We all faced off, when suddenly Thor came flying into the room. I turned to see him, and he launched forward to land on the cradle. Holding up his hammer, he summoned lightning. Using the direction of the hammer, he struck the cradle. I

"Wait!" Banner yelled, and it hit the cradle.

I shielded my eyes from the brightness of his attack, and felt my hair stand on end. Moving a little, I glanced as Steve placed himself in a good position to defend us both with his shield. He was also covering his eyes. As it died down, he stopped the attack and stood there for a moment. Suddenly, it exploded and sent Thor flying. He crashed into the ceiling and hit the floor with a thud as whatever was created emerged from the holding tank. Whatever it was came out gracefully, its feet never leaving the edge of the cradle. I shifted slightly, and Steve stood there in silence. We all were quiet, unable to form any kind of response. I noticed Tony was hiding behind a shelf, an unreadable look on his face.

The creature looked at all of us, and locked his eyes on Thor. He flew forward, but Thor was able to throw him off, and send him crashing through several glass walls and to the windows. We watched him stop, and the god followed quietly. Steve immediately followed, but paused when Thor asked him to wait. I followed slightly slower, watched as the creature looked through the windows, and to the city below. Steve gripped his shield tightly, and I tensed.

* * *

 **So sorry this took so long. Enjoy!**

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 **Thanks for sticking with this story!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"I'm sorry…that was odd," he said.

He sounded just like Jarvis, and I knew all of us were thinking the same thing. I sent a cautious look to the Captain, and he was standing tense, but wasn't poised to attack. The girl who had spoken earlier, came up to my side. I glanced at her, taking my eyes off the possible threat in the room.

"You must be the one who spoke in my head earlier," I murmured.

"Yes. I'm Wanda. Captain Rogers helped me find you," she answered.

"Well met. And very impressive," I mused, making her smile.

"Thank you."

At the sound of the now live Jarvis, we all turned back to him. He was nodding at Thor, and Steve looked to him. Everyone glanced at him, and I noticed that Tony cautiously walked out from his hiding spot. I narrowed my eyes in irritation at him. If this new being attacked us, I was going to break Tony's nose.

"Thor you helped create this?" Steve demanded.

"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that," he said pointing at the gem.

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked.

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities," he explained.

"Then why would you bring it to..."

"Because Stark is right," Thor interrupted Steve.

"Oh it's definitely the end times," Bruce breathed, his expression shocked.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," Thor shook his head.

"Not alone."

Steve tilted his head a little. "Why does your 'vision' sound like Jarvis?"

"We...we reconfigured Jarvis' matrix to create something new," Tony explained quietly.

"I think I've had my fill of new," Steve sighed.

I narrowed my eyes when the Vision met my gaze, and he looked at me gently before looking at everyone else. He took in how we stood, and the expression on their faces.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" he asked.

"You're not?" Steve answered, with his own question.

"I'm not Ultron. I'm not Jarvis. I am...I am..."

Wanda quietly walked forward. "I looked in your head and saw annihilation."

"Look again," Vision encouraged.

Clint snorted as he walked forward. "Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me."

Thor shook his head and moved. "Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself...they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side…."

"Is it? Are you? On our side?" Steve asked.

"Want me to look?" I offered, and everyone looked at me in surprise.

The Vision was the only one who wasn't surprised and he gave me a slight smile. I shrugged a little at the others who gave me a few shocked looks. Only Steve knew of this power, since I had formed a connection in his mind.

"Oh come on, you think I'd let all of you know what I was fully capable of?" I asked.

The Vision walked over, and I couldn't help but tense when he approached. The power he radiated was something even I feared. The Hulk was similar when he was angry. He smiled, and leaned down to offer his mind.

"I'll take that alone as a yes," I murmured.

"I don't think it's that simple," Vision replied, moving away.

"Well it better get real simple, real soon," Clint said shortly.

"I am on the side of life," Vision said, looking at him. "Ultron isn't, he will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" Tony asked.

"You," Vision replied simply.

"Where?" Banner demanded.

"Sokovia," Clint suddenly answered. "He's got Nat there too."

"Then we need to go," I said lowly.

Bruce quietly moved forward, approaching Vision with the Hulk's confidence. "If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be..."

"What will you do?" Vision asked softly.

At that, everyone hesitated but their silence was his answer. The Avengers would find a way to take him down. They always found a way with what they did. Vision smiled, and moved forward quietly. He walked around for a moment, thinking of his answer.

"I don't want to kill Ultron," he sighed. "He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the other. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go."

As he turned around, he handed Thor's hammer to him. I made a face, and everyone blinked in shock. We all exchanged a look, and watched as Vision walked off. Thor glanced at everyone, and let the hammer fall into his palm, feeling awkward. Clint blinked a few times from where he stood beside me, and even I was left speechless.

"Right," he murmured, and patted Stark on the shoulder. "Well done."

Steve glanced at everyone. "Three minutes. Get what you need."

I watched everyone move off, and looked at the Captain when he turned to me. His hands fell on my shoulders firmly, and I sighed quietly. This wasn't something that I could just walk away from. Not this time. They needed me. They needed all the help they could get.

"I'll go get ready," I offered.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"As sure as I can be," I nodded. "It's time to make a choice, and I'd rather fight with you. It's better than doing nothing at all."

He smiled slightly and nodded his head. "All right."

I patted his arm gently, and extracted myself from him. Walking down the hall, I made my way to the supply room. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to need. My dragon form may be just good enough, but anything else was welcomed. I could also grab supplies for everyone else.

"Oh, by the way," I threw over my shoulder. "If we survive this, you owe me dinner. A movie would be nice too."

I saw him blush, and it made me laugh as I went and got ready. I pulled on a new pair of pants, and a shirt and jacket. Pulling on a weapons belt, I loaded up with bullets, guns, and a few things that wouldn't need to be reloaded. I knew I was going to be needing my true form for this. I sighed quietly, and threw my hair into a braid and walked out.

Going past Clint, I tilted my head at him as he looked at a photo of his family. He had loaded up with as many arrows and weapons as he could handle. Laying a hand on his shoulder, I gestured to more.

"Here, I can resupply you if I need to," I sighed. "And I'll help look after you, old man."

Clint chuckled. "Right," he snorted. "I don't think its me that needs looking after, you over grown lizard."

"I'm offended that you think I need a babysitter," I gasped, taking the extra quiver that he handed me.

"You called me old," Clint arched his brow, and I grinned.

Strapping the quiver to my back, I patted his shoulder and walked off. Heading toward the Quinjet, I got there right after the others. Tony and Bruce were standing, and I noticed Bruce looked a little uncomfortable. Steve sat down quietly, and glanced up when I walked over.

"No way we all get through this," Tony murmured. "If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. Its gonna be blood on the floor."

"I got no plans tomorrow night," Steve shrugged.

"I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."

"That's true, he hates you the most," Vision said as he walked by, getting into the Quinjet before us.

I grinned at that, and ignored Tony's look when he saw it. I looked at him when he wouldn't let up, and I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me.

"I'm sorry, your face was priceless," I explained.

"I'm glad you are smiling and laughing at this," Tony snorted.

"I'm awkward that way," I shrugged. "If I'm dying today, I'll be dying protecting the world and you guys. I've had a nice long life. It's a worthy way for a dragon to go out. And personally, I am the only one allowed, the world needs all of you. Me, not so much."

I turned and walked away from them, but not before I caught several looks from the others. I knew they cared about me, but what I stated was fact. Walking onto the Quinjet, I greeted Thor and Vision both. The god looked at me, and moved over when I sat down. I gave him a narrowed glance, and jumped when he reached forward to hug me.

"I am sorry about what happened," he muttered. "Forgiven?"

"I guess," I sighed loudly.

"Oh come on!" Thor protested.

"Yes, you brute you're forgiven," I replied, waving my hand and Thor grinned.

Vision chuckled. "Your humor is refreshing," he murmured.

"You should see me and Clint on a good day," I smiled, standing back up.

He approached me. "You have much courage," he nodded.

"I try to think so," I sighed.

"When I said we need everyone, I meant it," Vision smiled.

"Very encouraging. I'll remember that," I answered, turning my head to see the others getting on, and watching Vision move off.

Clint hopped on, and grinned at me. "Ready you over grown lizard?"

"I'm not sure, I think I need a few more insults to help me get going," I answered, batting my lashes.

"I've got plenty you know," he offered, going to the controls.

"I was joking," I said sourly.

"I was and wasn't," Clint smiled.

I let my eyes change, and tilted my head. "You know, humans taste like bacon when fried. I happen to like bacon. Just remember that."

"Oh...god…." Clint grunted, shuddering. "I didn't want to know that."

"Your fault," I snorted, feeling the jet lift off.

Everyone got comfortable and looked at the Captain for orders. I knew he was preparing for a speech, and usually that would help me focus on what was coming. It always set me in the right mind. He leaned against where I was sitting, putting him in everyone's view. I crossed my arms and glanced at everyone else briefly, before waiting for the Cap to speak.

"Ultron knows we're coming," he sighed. "Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. We keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

I glanced at Tony when he looked up at Steve, and then he met my gaze knowingly. I had always called myself a monster, because I was. I was something out of a horror story. I was the myths around Scotland and England, all over that side of the world hundreds of years ago. I didn't say a word when Tony kept looking at me, and instead, I simply dropped my eyes. A hand fell on my shoulder, and I knew it was Steve, but didn't look at him.

"You are not that anymore," he said, only for me to hear. "Over the last three years you've become a hero, not a monster. Don't let that rule you. I'll take you on a damn date if we survive this."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my mouth, and just like that the tension was broken and everyone relaxed a little. I tilted my head at the Captain when he stood up straight.

"Careful though, Cap," I murmured. "You may need the monster to help finish the job."

"I'm very aware of that," he rumbled.

* * *

 **Sorry. Life is busy. Thanks to the readers for sticking with me!**

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	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

When we got to Sokovia, it was in the early morning hours and we got moving on getting all the civilians out of the city. Clint and I kept look out on high spots, and came down every now and again to make sure everyone was moving out. Wanda was using her powers to help speed it along, and we all made sure that we were getting as many people out as we could, while Banner went in search of Natasha. Thor had his own mission, so we handled the city. Tony had gone off in search of Ultron, attempting to stall.

We had managed to get a good amount of people from Sokovia, when robots exploded out of the ground. They came from the river, and up the side of buildings. I ducked from an attack, and threw one back who had flanked Steve. I grunted a little as I was tackled, and slammed painfully into the hood of an abandoned car.

"Go!" Steve ushered, yelling at people.

"Move! Move get off the bridge!" Wanda yelled.

I charged forward as Wanda used her powers to protect a group of people, and I killed the robot that was attacking. My fingers became talons, and I ripped apart several other robots in my way. It gave people a chance to get away. I ripped the head off another bot when the ground suddenly shuddered violently. The whole city shook, making me swing around. Clint jumped down next to me, and we braced ourselves.

"Oh hell," I whispered, feeling the ground move.

When I caught my balance, I looked to see that the city was indeed lifting off the ground. I couldn't help but be frozen in shock. He had managed to lift an entire city. How were we going to fix this?

"Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

I snarled, and killed every bot that was speaking. Moving through the city as quickly as I could, I continued killing anything metal in my way. I made my way toward Steve as Tony warned of incoming bots. I watched as he was struck, and thrown into a car.

"Incoming already came," Steve grunted.

I jumped down next to him, and offered him a hand. He gratefully took it, and grunted quietly. I hauled him off the hood of the car, putting my strength into it. He was much heavier than he looked. A normal human would have trouble, but it was easy in my case.

"Stark you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt em back. You get killed….walk it off."

"Oh that's a great speech. Do it again," I snorted, ducking as he threw his shield.

I charged another bot, hearing him laugh a little. I ripped his shield out of a dead bot and threw it back to him. I swung around as a car fell from the bridge and a lady started screaming. Two more fell off with people in it.

"Go!" Steve ordered.

I jumped from the bridge and pushed my transformation with a loud roar of arrival. I saw Thor with one car, and so I dove after the other two. Reaching out, I grabbed them with my claws, and opened my wings and shot straight up. I handed one off to Thor who came by again, and then rushed up to help Steve. He had fallen over the edge, trying to help a woman back into the city. Roaring, I dropped the car off on the bridge, and immediately reached down to grab them, as several robots came forward.

It was easy to crush them under my body as I snatched them up. As soon as they were down, Steve was fighting again, and Thor finally arrived and dropped the car he was holding. He joined Steve's side as I jumped into the air again.

"What were you napping?" Steve demanded, and the god laughed.

I sent a huge blast of fire at a group heading toward them, and another that headed for Clint. I roared again at Ultron as he charged toward me, and I let loose another tongue of flame. He struck me with a blast that sent me crashing to the ground. I eyed where I had landed, making sure that I didn't crush anyone in the process. Panting, I slammed my foot down and slowly got to my feet.

Lifting my head, I saw several robots going for Clint again, and I jumped forward. He shot one arrow and leaped over a car. I grabbed him, and swung my body away from the blast as it took out all four bots. He grunted, and slowly I set him down again.

"Thanks," he breathed.

"No problem," I rumbled. "Feeling old?"

"Maybe just a little," he replied, chuckling as he loaded his bow.

"Just a little," I snorted.

I made sure he was safer than when I had landed and jumped back into the air. Ultron shot past me and tackled Thor again, so I snapped my jaws on the robot and flung him back. He immediately shot me with something that went right into my shoulder and I roared. Smoke shot from my nostrils and I threw him from me. Shaking my head, I tried to remain in the air for a bit longer.

"All clear here," Barton said over com.

"We are not clear! We are very not clear!" Steve shouted, obviously in the middle of fighting.

"All right, coming to you."

I watched easily as Pietro picked up his sister and rushed off, leaving Barton behind. The agent lifted his bow, and I briefly heard him whine about something. I dove, giving a roar off to let him know I was coming. Clint swung around and I reached out with my claws and picked him up. He jumped up, right into my hold as I flew through the city. Another breath of fire melted more robots, and I dropped him off with the others.

"Don't worry, you don't have to walk," I teased.

"Shut up!" he hollered.

Seeing a large group of bots coming after the others, I landed on them and killed them easily. It slowed down, and I managed to push myself to human form. I shook off the change, and ripped the head off the last bot and helped a few people into the only building standing. Wanda and Pietro were catching their breath. I pushed my com back into my ear, glad to see it was still working. Moving back to Clint, I threw him the quiver and he caught it.

"The next wave is going to hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?" Steve asked.

"Well nothing great," Tony answered quietly. "Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear."

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan."

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice," Tony sighed.

"Cap, these people are going no where. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock..." Natasha sighed.

"Not till everyone is safe."

I walked out to them as they spoke, and I quietly interrupted them. "I can take as many as I can. I can do multiple trips," I said quietly.

"It won't be enough," Natasha murmured. "I mean where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

Static came over our com, and Fury's voice came online. "Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better."

A huge grin came to my face when I saw the helicarrier come into view. It was a sight to behold, and a saving grace. I thought the only three that had been built, had been destroyed. I remembered all too well the destruction we had caused back when Bucky had attacked us. Seeing one fully functional was amazing.

"Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do," Fury announced.

"Fury, you son of a bitch," Steve breathed.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Fury laughed.

The lifeboats deployed from the carrier, and came forward. I looked at Pietro as he rushed over and looked at them in awe. I knew he had thought SHIELD was the bad guys. Seeing this was sure to change his perspective.

"This is SHIELD?" he asked.

Steve, Natasha and I glanced at each other for a moment. Steve smiled a little. "This is what SHIELD is supposed to be."

"This is not so bad," Pietro smiled.

"Let's load them up."

We ushered people onto the lifeboats, and I ran through and helped the stragglers. I killed any bots that came my way, so that the others could help the people. Over time I could feel myself tiring, and a few hits here and there had me flying. The last one had me crashing over the top of a car. Grunting, I rolled to my feet and shook my head to clear my vision.

"Ow..." I whined, mostly to myself. "I'm to old for this..."

"D, we need the other form," Steve said over the com. "Can you keep it small?"

"I don't know," I grunted, yanking a knife from my weapons belt.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tony snapped.

"Oh shut up metal head," I growled.

I ripped the head off a robot coming at me, and I ducked from several blasts. Rolling to my feet, I sent my knife through the chest of another robot and kicked him from me before I was suddenly overwhelmed by energy blasts. I ducked, and cried out from the hits. They came out of no where, and I was suddenly engulfed. Profanity left my mouth, and I protected myself as best I could. They burned my skin as fast as I could heal the wounds.

Suddenly something dropped down from above me and I was shielded from the attack. Lightning struck the bots around us, and Steve didn't let me fall when it was over. I managed to keep myself up without his help, and I caught my breath. That hurt more then I was expecting. Running a hand through my hair, I glared at the ground.

"I can try," I whispered. "Give me a moment."

"We can give you a moment," Steve nodded.

With his help, along with Thor they were able to keep it clear around me for just a few minutes. Glancing around me, I made sure I was clear and pushed myself to change. I kept it small, about twenty feet which was usual for me. I had to take a moment, and I stretched my wings and shook my head a little. Swinging my tail, I crushed a bot who was charging.

Roaring, I lifted into the air again and took flight, blowing fire at any enemies heading for Steve or Natasha. I growled in anger, and let myself go into a little bit of the rage that I was controlling. It gave me some extra energy and I spread my wings wide as I continued my attacks.

"Thor I got a plan!" Tony exclaimed.

"We're out of time!" Thor roared. "They're coming for the core!"

"Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier."

"On it," he answered.

"Avengers, time to work for a living."

I snorted as I took out several bots and landed near the church. The others came in shortly after, and I tilted when Vision floated next to me. I ripped through a few bots that were there, and turned as Steve came flying through a window.

"Romanoff? You and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini," Tony snorted, and I rumbled in slight disgust.

"Relax, Shell-head. Not all of us can fly," Nat answered.

She joined us shortly after her remark, and she came in to take a stance. I glanced back again when Hulk came crashing through a wall. He landed right next to me, and stumbled. His hand reached out and touched my side. A rumble left my throat, and I turned to see him. It had been a good few years since I had seen Hulk. The beast gave me a slight smile, and bopped me on the muzzle. I snorted a little at him and turned my attention back to the others. I looked at every one of them, and shifted, reaching out with my tail to pull Clint closer to me. He gave me a grin, and stood by my shoulder.

"What's the drill?" Natasha asked, finally joining us.

Tony pointed at the core in the ground. "This is the drill. If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

I narrowed my gaze when Ultron floated into sight, and Thor swung his hammer. Everyone tensed at the arrival of the robot. The god growled, and glared at the enemy before us.

"Is that the best you can do?!" Thor roared.

Ultron raised his hand, summoning all of his bots, and Steve let out a breath. I growled at the sight of it, and looked at Thor who had to smile. Steve's shoulders dropped for a moment, as he looked forward with irritation.

"You had to ask," Steve sighed, his voice flat.

"This is the best I can do," Ultron smiled. "This is exactly what I wanted, all of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"

We all prepared ourselves, and Tony took a stance by the core. "Like the old man said. Together."

The Hulk roared, so I joined in on it, and attacked the bots as they came into the church. I tried to keep a close look on everyone, and helped Wanda and Natasha when needed. I snarled when several things hit me in the side, and I roared and slammed my wings out and into several of them. It was hard to maneuver in the building, so after snatching a bot out of the air, I jumped out and set up a sort of perimeter.

Clint wasn't far from me, and the kinship I felt for that man had me protecting him more than the others. Knowing he had a family, unlike the rest of us made it more of a task to make sure he went home. I rumbled in agony as something dug into my side and I swung my head and slammed my claws down on the bot who had shoved a light pole into my side. Flinching a little, I turned and yanked it out with my jaws, aware of the whine of pain that followed.

Growling I threw it against several bots coming forward and I breathed fire over them. I briefly heard the Hulk roar in frustration, and Steve yelling out for someone to look out. Snapping my jaws together, I lashed my tail back and froth and continued on my path of destruction.

Vision suddenly blasted Ultron with his stone, and Thor sent lightning at him. Tony joined in, so I let loose a powerful tongue of flame and kept it going till they stopped. It had melted Ultron's body, leaving him looking a little worse for wear.

"You know, with the benefit of hindsight…."

He never got to finish his sentence as Hulk smashed into him, sending Ultron flying. As he turned to glare at the other bots, they all started to retreat. He ran after them, disappearing from our sights again.

"They'll try to leave the city," Thor rumbled.

"We can't let them," Tony answered. "Rhodey!"

"I'm on it."

We were able to catch our breath, and I moved quietly as Clint jumped up on my back from his perch. He gave me a sheepish grin, and I snorted smoke at him. He got comfortable on my back, but was still in a position to fight if he had to. I shifted, and glanced over everyone when they joined us. Steve walked out, and patted my shoulder quietly when he noticed I was beside him.

"We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting this," Steve ordered. "You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."

"What about the core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it," Wanda answered. "It's my job."

Once we were sure, I grabbed Natasha and set her on my back as well. Taking flight, I headed around the city and toward the lifeboats. Now that the majority of the bots were gone, we'd be able to figure out what to do with the city.

"I know what I need to do. The dining room! If I knock out the east wall, it'll make a nice work space for Laura, huh? Put up some baffling, she can't hear the kids running around. What do you think?" Clint asked.

"You guys always eat in the kitchen anyway," Nat nodded.

"No one eats in the dining room!" Clint grinned. "D?"

"Dining rooms are overrated," I snorted, landing near a lifeboat.

I heard Hulk roar out, and let Natasha down first, and then Clint slid down. He looked at her, after casting a weary glanced toward where the beast was still fighting. I tilted my head just a bit to see him out of the corner of my eye.

"We don't have a lot of time," he said.

"So get your ass on a boat," Natasha said firmly, jumping from my back.

* * *

 **It's been so long since I updated this. This story is much longer on my computer, but I've been busy! Please review!**

 **Thank you to the readers who have stuck with me, the reviews thus far have been wonderful. So glad those of you enjoy this story. I didn't think anyone would!**

 **Until next time. With proper encouragement I won't take that long again hahaha.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I love this story! I hope you all enjoy it just as much as I do! I've been very bad at not updating all of my stories, so I'm trying to get better at that. I'm trying to complete them before I start something new.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

I looked over at Clint when he sighed, and he went over to start aiding people who were getting onto the lifeboats. Opening my wings, I flew forward to warn off any robots that might have come our way. Behind me, Thor and Steve were helping some of the people out. I briefly saw Clint head out toward a building, and when I focused, I saw a small child in the ruins. Always having to help. I snorted, when the roar of a plane caught my attention. Something wasn't right. The Quinjet came around the side of several smashed buildings, and when I saw who was in it, I immediately roared.

Ultron started shooting, and I snarled in rage. He just had to get in one last attack. Lifting up, I blew a stream of fire, but he avoided it and kept shooting. The rain of bullets that came down, pierced my scales and tore through my wings. I swung my head around through the pain to see his path. It was heading through the line of us. Steve, Thor, and then Clint and the child he had saved. Steve threw his shield up and yelled out to me as another burst of bullets came down. Ultron lingered on me briefly, and the damage was done. I dug my claws into the cement as I leaped forward but it was too late.

Blood filled my jaws as I hit the ground and I was unsure what had happened during the chaos. I wasn't sure if I had managed to protect Clint and the child. My head smacked into rocks, causing my vision to go white for a moment. Steve was by my side in an instant, his hand on a part of my nose that wasn't damaged. I was shoving myself to my feet, making him back away.

"Clint," I said hoarsely.

Lifting my head, I looked at the car that had been thrown into the way, saving Clint and the boy. Pietro stood there, bullet holes littering his body. I felt my breath catch from pain, and knowing that the boy was dead the moment he hit the ground. Steve put his shield on his back and jumped down to aid Clint. Sinking to my belly, I listened to a loud scream, and a surge of power went through the city. Thor was in the air moments later. I blinked at the young man who was on the ground. I had tried to fly over toward Clint, but it had not been possible. Had I been able to, would that boy still be alive? I bared my teeth as emotions surged through my body. I had failed to protect all of them.

"Kayden."

Blinking through my pain, I turned my head and looked at Steve. Clint looked up as well, having picked the boy back up. I gave them both a rumble, careful to keep my jaws shut.

"Ah hell," Clint whispered.

Turning from them, I spit the blood out of my mouth as best I could. "Get on the boat," I hissed.

"But what about you?" Steve demanded.

"I can't..." I rumbled hoarsely. "I can't turn human. Go, I'll be fine."

"But..."

"Go!" I snarled, shoving him.

Their safety was my priority. I wouldn't let them die, or be harmed because of me. I watched as they made it safely onto a lifeboat, and I lowered my head to the ground. I heaved a little, and felt my body push itself to heal. My abilities to heal were already amazing, and things like this wouldn't kill me. It'd hurt like hell though. I tried to focus the healing on my wings. Lifting my gaze, I looked right at Steve who turned back toward me.

"Don't you dare die on me," he whispered, and I lifted a lip.

His ability to care for those around him was astounding. The ground beneath us suddenly quivered, and Steve turned and jumped. I gasped as the city suddenly dropped, and I ignored the shouting over the line. I wasn't the only one falling. Snorting out heavily, I shoved myself up. My instincts screamed at me to survive, so I opened my wings and found myself surging into the air. It was agony to keep my wings open, but at least I had managed to stay in the air. It wasn't very graceful, and I had very little control over my own body. Grinding my teeth together, I watched as the city exploded below me. Watching it was quite the experience.

"Thor!" Stark yelled over the line.

Turning my gaze to look for the man, I watched him fall toward earth. I snarled loudly and turned toward the ground. Keeping my wings tight to my body, I shot down and angled my way around the rubble that was falling. Thor had hit the water, and was sinking fast. I hit the water not long after and reached out and grabbed him. Rushing to the surface, I took a huge breath, and had to float there for a moment. Thor was awake, patting my chest, and I glanced at him.

"Thank you," he coughed.

"I hate to admit this, but I can't fly..." I grumbled, tasting blood in my mouth.

"I got you," he nodded, and he held me tightly around the neck.

He got into the air easily, and it was a rush flying toward the hellicarrier. He had to drop me, so I opened my sore wings. I landed ungracefully, and watched the others gather not far off. I stumbled a little, aware that Thor had laid his hands on my scales to keep me up. It was easy to forget how strong he was.

"You all right?" Thor asked. "There is blood on your chest…."

"Fine," I whispered carefully. "Still trying to heal."

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, his voice thick with worry.

"I think so," I grumbled, glancing down at him.

I growled quietly, and shuddered at the pain. Part of me wished I could have just deflected the attacks. Thor glanced behind him, so I looked up to see Steve walking over. The moment the god stepped back, I was sinking back down to my belly, unable to hold myself up any longer. All this trying to heal was exhausting. Having lived with Steve since New York, I figured he felt responsible for me. In any case, it had him picking up the pace and hurrying over. I was in too much pain to care that the others had come over as well. Tony's mask came off, and I tried hard not to look at his expression.

"I'll be fine," I managed to rumble.

"You gave me a scare," Steve whispered, coming to my head.

"Sorry," I tilted my head to look at him.

"Are you all right?"

"If I hear that question again..." I murmured, and he smiled.

"Can you turn human?" he asked.

"No," I snapped, and then closed my jaws.

He nodded his head, and stood up again. I knew they had things to do, but Tony, Thor and Steve stayed with me until I was healed. It took the better part of an hour before I was able to move without it hurting. The bullets had gone straight through me, which I was grateful for. I was hard to kill, but this had been the worst I had ever been hit. I'd have gladly taken on a leviathan again, rather than deal with all of this.

Opening my eyes, I breathed out harshly and finally got to my feet. It was a little painful, but there were no more open wounds on my body. They were healed over for the most part. When I was able to turn human again, I found myself reaching out for something to catch me. Tony reached out, and I looked at him gratefully. Once I was sure I could stand on my own, I let go of him.

Steve sighed gently. "Can you walk?"

"I'll make myself."

He chuckled at that, and I stood up a little straighter. All of us walked into an office, where Nat and Clint were. Everyone was trying to just sit and relax. Natasha was treating Clint's wound, and I turned my head when he gestured to me. Going over, I let him grab my hand and squeeze it. He had been worried as well. It touched me, to see that I was so cared for by these people. Steve sighed as he walked over, having washed his face. Walking away from Clint once I knew he was okay, I took a soft breath.

"Kayden?"

Turning my head, I looked at Thor who had spoken my name. He gave me a look, and then gestured to the couch. I went to protest immediately, but Steve cleared his throat, so I looked over to him as well.

"You're shaking," he murmured.

Glancing down at my hands, I realized I was. Clenching my fists, I forced myself over to the couch that was there and made myself lie down. It seemed I still had some healing to do. Thor grabbed a blanket and put it over me, and touched my forehead. I was asleep in moments.

We went home as soon as possible, and once we all landed on the pad the others were going inside. Steve had woken me up when we had to switch to another jet. I couldn't sleep on that ride. What ever Thor had done to me, had at least helped. I was feeling a little better. Tony had flown home without us, for whatever reason and was there and cleaned up when we walked in.

"We have a bit of cleaning up to do," Steve sighed.

"Yeah, I can imagine."

"I got Stark Industries on it already," Tony offered. "I ordered food. You should go shower."

"Oh good," I hummed, mostly to myself.

I left them and took a quick hot shower, and I was sure the others did the same. It was refreshing, and soon I was relaxed again and feeling more myself. Once I made sure my hair was dry, and I was dressed, I walked back out to the others. Natasha wasn't there when I came back out and Clint was asleep on the couch. Tony, Thor, and Steve were at the bar with pizza. Rhodey walked in and joined them shortly after, and I noticed that Vision and Wanda were not there as well. I joined them, taking a stool that was open beside Steve and we all ate in silence.

Tony regarded me quietly, and for a while I just let him stare at me every now and again. It irritated me, but I was too tired to care about it at the moment. Thor killed a whole pizza on his own, and so did Steve. Tony and I split one before he finally spoke.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're looking a little human," Tony smiled at me.

"You just know how to break the happy silence don't you?" I asked, irritated.

"It's disrupting the peace, and yes it's what I do," he answered, matter of fact.

"So refreshing," I sighed, and Thor chuckled deeply.

We finished eating and I watched everyone go off to get some sleep. I went behind the bar and grabbed myself a beer, and sighed quietly to myself. My back was killing me, and for a moment I did feel human. I hated feeling human, it made me feel weak.

"Grab me one."

I almost smacked my head on the bar. "I need to start using my senses more," I grunted, but grabbed another bottle.

Steve gave me a smile when I handed it to him. "That's probably a good idea," he mused.

Glaring at him, I took a drink and leaned against the counter top. "You should be sleeping," I noted. "You guys had a rough time."

"So did you," he snorted. "And I slept a little on the ride back. I had to make sure everyone was all right. Plus, I was hoping Banner would come back."

"I'm sure Banner will return when he's ready," I sighed, avoiding his statement. "You can't push someone like that. How is everyone?"

"Tired, beaten and I'm sure sad," Steve answered. "But we won..."

"Yeah. At what cost?" I asked quietly.

"Don't beat yourself up. None of us were able to save him. The least we were able to do was bury him," Steve sighed, taking another drink.

"Well...good," I mumbled, also taking a drink.

"And you are okay?" Steve question, looking at me seriously.

"I've been alive much longer than you. I'll be fine," I chuckled. "I'm tired now that I think about it. I just need...something. Not sure what. I'm not sure if I have to go kill something, or just sleep for a week."

"Sleeping is the better alternative," Steve answered, and it made me smile a little.

"I don't know, I just...I don't want to talk about it," I muttered.

Steve gave me a glance, and sighed softly to himself as I finished my beer. I threw the bottle away and took his when he was done as well. I walked down the hall with him quietly, and he took me to my apartment door. I reached up and gave him a tight hug, and then patted him on the chest.

"You owe me a date, Captain," I grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ha, I guess I do," he laughed. "Night, D."

"Night," I smiled, and unlocked my door with my thumb print.

I shut the door, and listened to him slowly walk off. I was so exhausted, and I just took off my shoes and laid in bed. I was asleep within minutes, unable to fight it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you to all the favorites and follows. The reviews are much appreciated. As of now there are NO spoilers for the next several chapters. When I enter into Civil War, I will warn all of you, in case you have not seen the movie.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

I was up several hours later, suffering from a horrible nightmare. I sat straight up in bed, and for the first time in a long time, I was wishing for others of my kind. Blinking several times, I took a breath and tried to calm myself. I wasn't one who usually had those kinds of dreams. It irritated me that I was awake. Glancing around, I took in a huge breath, finally calm.

"Is everything okay, Miss Kayden?"

I jumped when I heard the female voice. I had been so used to Jarvis, that I found I missed him. Wracking my brain, I figured out who I was talking to.

"Thank you, Friday I'm fine," I said out loud.

"Mr. Stark is awake and in the bar, if you'd like to know."

"Thank you."

Getting to my feet, I got dressed. When I checked the time I found it was five in the morning. I knew I was going to be up for the rest of the day. Putting on some shoes, I left my flat and headed down to the bar where Friday said Tony was. Just as she said, he was there sitting quietly.

"Why are you up?" I asked.

"Been on the phone for the last hour, helping with clean up," Tony answered, smiling slightly. "Why are you up?"

"Bad dream," I muttered.

"I've never known you to have those," he glanced at me in surprise.

"Me either."

He looked at me gently. "It helps to talk about it. You know, after New York I had real bad issues as well. I wouldn't talk about it."

"I remember," I murmured.

"Well, you should talk about it."

I gave him an irritated growl and grabbed a cup of coffee. I sighed a little and decided on helping Tony with what needed to be done. I sent out a few phone calls, and spoke to Fury for him. They had been working nonstop for the last 48 hours and they were making good progress.

"Everything is going smoothly," I nodded, coming back into the room with Tony.

"Good. Thank you, for helping," he sighed.

"Not a problem."

I walked back out to the bar to make more coffee, and I looked up at Steve as he came into the room. He looked at me for a long moment, and I arched my brow a little.

"This is odd," he commented. "Why are you up making coffee?"

"Couldn't sleep. I've been helping Tony all morning with clean up," I shrugged, handing him a cup.

He looked at me suspiciously, and took the cup from me. I couldn't help the soft chuckle that I let out, and smiled at him. I enjoyed the cup of coffee, and watched Barton walk out with his bags.

"Tell the kids the dragon lady says hi," I smiled.

"I will," he smiled. "Hey...and thanks."

"Don't mention it," I hummed, waving it off.

He knew differently, and it earned another smile. I poured Clint some coffee to go, and sent him off with a hug. He said bye to Steve and Tony, and Thor who had just come into the room. I sighed quietly, and kept myself busy for the rest of the day with the others. Bed came much later that night.

* * *

 **Flashback**

 _It was late when I came awake to the sound of a phone ringing. Thinking it was Steve's, I growled softly and rolled over, only to realize it was mine. No one ever called me this late. Reaching for the phone, I glanced at the name, and answered it in surprise._

" _Tony, you never call…."_

" _I know...I know..." he replied, his voice rushing._

 _As I paid close attention, I could hear his heart hammering in his chest. Sitting up, I ran a hand through my hair and glanced at the time. Two in the morning. It was the Christmas season, so I hadn't expected him to call at all._

" _Have you...have you been paying attent….attention to the news lately?"_

" _No," I grunted, and grabbed my Ipad._

 _It was easy to search for his name, and what I came up with astounded me. His home had been bombed, and now he was rumored to be dead. I blinked in surprise, and paid attention to the phone again._

" _You are having an anxiety attack," I stated, listening to his breathing._

" _Talk to me, all right. Please? Distract me," he rumbled, choking on air._

 _I tried to remember what I knew about treating things like this. I had been exposed to so many things, but anxiety and panic had not been something I was familiar with. I had seen it a few times in Steve these last few months, but nothing like this. Turning on my lamp, I sighed._

" _Well, I'm settling in good," I rambled. "Do you have any idea what it's like, living in the capital?"_

" _No, no, never could guess."_

" _Or with a human who's about a hundred years old," I continued. "I've never experienced that. It's been fun, helping him. Do you need me?"_

" _I don't, nope," Tony replied. "Are….are you doing anything fun for Christmas?"_

" _You are silly if you expect me to celebrate that," I laughed. "However, my roommate has been acting funny. I'm assuming he enjoys Christmas. Made me set up a bloody tree."_

" _Even I set up a tree, that's crazy you don't," he mused._

" _Are you going through some crazy thing in that head of yours, now that you are calming down?"_

" _It's called multitasking, you need to be better at that," Tony replied, his voice calming down._

" _See, just because I'm a female doesn't mean we all are the same and do that," I replied flatly._

" _You should," he answered. "Listen...I don't want to act like I need help, but..."_

" _Do you need me in person?" I asked, sitting up straighter. "You know I'll be there if you need me to be."_

" _No, I don't want you exposed right now. Not with what I'm dealing with...just...just keep your..."_

" _I'll keep it on me," I nodded, glancing over more articles. "If you need me call. Was I helpful at all? Or useless?"_

" _Completely useless," he snorted, but I heard the affection in his tone. "Thanks, much. Bye."_

" _Bye," I laughed, hanging up the phone._

" _Tony?"_

 _Looking up, I saw Steve in the doorway. He had just come back from another run, and I saw the sweat soaking into his shirt. I blinked a little at that. It was after 2 in the morning, and he just came back from running._

" _Do you ever sleep?" I demanded._

" _Sometimes," he mused. "He's..."_

" _Alive, for now," I sighed._

" _Help?"_

" _Go to bed Cap, and shower too. I can smell you from here," I snorted._

 **END**

* * *

I fell into the same nightmare that had surfaced the night before. This time, I woke up in the middle of the night and not the early morning. I leaned back quietly and gathered myself so that my brain was functioning normally. Swinging out of bed, I threw on some socks and a sweater and left my apartment. Hopefully no one was awake this time.

Heading to the bar, I was happy to see that my assumptions were correct. I quietly walked down the stairs and out the door to stand on the landing platform. It was clear out, giving me a great view of the sky. Sitting down, I let my feet dangle over the edge. I had never experienced dreams like this before, and usually when a human died I'd get over it. A soft growl left my lips, knowing that being around these humans had changed me. It continued to change me, the longer I stayed with them. I didn't feel like a beast all the time, I actually felt normal. They didn't look at me any different, I was one of them.

Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the soft wind push my hair back from my face. If I felt like the dragon, I wouldn't be up right now. I'd be happily sleeping. Part of me was angry that I wasn't, while the other half was happy to be awake. It meant that I finally cared enough about something, that it affected me. I shivered slightly in the cold, and looked down at the city. People were still awake at this hour, some of them heading home from a long night of drinking. I smiled a little as I watched all that was going on.

The air shifted, and a scent came to my nose, making me lean back on my arms. Steve sat down quietly next to me, in the same kind of clothes I was in. He sighed quietly, like his body was in pain so I looked at him. I scanned him, making sure he was okay before I spoke.

"Why are you up?" I asked, lightly surprised.

"Could ask you the same question," he replied.

"Good ol' Cap. Caring about his troops," I teased, making him hum. "Just couldn't sleep."

"I lived with you for two years, D. You love sleep," Steve pointed out. "Something is obviously wrong."

From the burning in my eyes, I knew that they were red. I saw him briefly brace himself for whatever I was about to say as I took a breath. I didn't want to say it, but I felt it needed to be said.

"The more I'm around everyone, the more human I feel," I growled. "I'm having a hard time with that. Years ago, if a tiny human died I wouldn't have cared. I viewed you all as nothing but pathetic little things that stole away my world. I was the one doing the killing, not the saving. Now, we lose someone and it turns everything upside down. I didn't even know him that well, and this...this emotion is driving me insane."

"Kayden..."

"He had aimed to take all of us out, and I couldn't move fast enough to save someone," I snarled, surging to my feet.

Steve got to his feet the moment I had jumped to mine. He regarded me warily for a moment, as I fumed in front of him. I shook my head at him, and took a step back. I couldn't believe that I was feeling like this. I was a dragon! Dragons didn't feel this sort of thing!

"What if it had truly been one of you?" I rumbled. "I am one of the mightiest creatures to exist and I couldn't save a boy from death. I liked it better when I didn't feel all of this. I was stronger back then, damn it!"

"Easy," Steve murmured, as I took another step away from him. "Don't."

He knew I wanted to leave, to change and fly off. Part of me didn't want to come back. Being the only dragon around, I didn't have any of my kind to talk to. I couldn't figure out how to deal with how I was feeling, I was utterly alone. He reached out smoothly, opening his hand to me.

"Come here," he said gently.

I stared at his hand for a long moment, before I finally forced myself to take it. He drew me forward firmly, and wrapped me up in a hug. Steve was really all I had when it came to dealing with what I was. He was the one who had gone out of his way to figure me out. I pressed my head against his chest and took in calming breaths. I would not cry.

Just knowing that my emotions wanted me to shed tears for a human almost had me roaring in outrage. The other part of me, instinctively knew that I had chosen these humans as my own. They were my family, they were all I had. Their ability to welcome others with open arms had slowly transferred to me. I was no longer the hard beast that Tony had found, and instead a softer version of what I once was. The rage was aimed at those who wanted to do these people harm, and instead of caring for myself, I was more concerned with their well being. It was a huge change, and something I continued struggling with.

"You listen here," he murmured. "We all did what we could that day. And since you are feeling more human, you get to enjoy me talking. It is unfair, but when you are fighting in a war nothing is fair. He did not die in vain, he died a hero. That is all that matters. You cannot sit here and beat yourself up with the what if's. It won't change anything. Who you are turning into isn't a bad person. If anything, you are stronger than you've ever been."

It took me a moment, and when I nodded my head, he let go of me. When I looked up, I felt much calmer. I knew he was right. I was stronger. Not caring about people left me alone, and now I wasn't, because I had changed. Steve sighed a little, and walked me back to my room. I felt him squeeze my shoulder, and then he was gone. I went to bed a little easier than before.


	16. Chapter 16

**I am so so sorry that it's been so long. Hopefully this will make up for it!**

 **Chapter 16**

We spent the next several weeks on damage control and making sure that everything was taken care of. It was busy, and Tony managed to keep me so busy that I never had the chance to dream. I was way too tired to dream when I went to bed at night. A new facility had been built for the Avengers, somewhere quiet and out of the city. I had moved out of the Avengers tower, and into the new facility. Many of the others had done the same.

I waited outside for Thor, when he walked out with Steve and Tony. They were all smiling, and it was something I was happy to see. Thor turned and walked over once he patted them both on the shoulders. I nodded, and reached up to hug him tightly.

"Keep them in line," he muttered.

"Oh, I'll try," I laughed.

"I'll let you know what I find out about dragons when I come back," Thor smiled.

"Safe travels," I nodded with a smile.

Once he was gone, Tony grumbled quietly at the damage done on the grass. I just chuckled and went up to him before he walked off with Steve. He hugged me, and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"If you are still having issues, you know how to reach me," he murmured.

"Thank you," I answered sincerely.

I moved off to the side to wait for Steve, and watched quietly as Tony drove off. Crossing my arms, I tilted my head a little with a sigh. It felt like a huge part of our lives were ending with everyone splitting up for now. It wasn't uncommon though, and I shook off the feeling. Steve snapped his fingers, catching my attention and I glared at him. He simply smiled.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Sure," I shrugged, and followed him inside, to where Natasha was.

"Do you want to keep staring at the wall or get to work?" Steve asked, catching her attention. "I mean it's a pretty interesting wall."

She grunted at the jab, and walked over. "I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each others eyes. How do we look?"

"There were plenty of man tears," I added, and she laughed.

"Well, they're not the 27 Yankee's," Steve sighed.

"We got some hitters," she hummed, showing me the screen.

"They're good, but they're not a team," he replied.

"Let's whip them into shape," I hummed, and he smiled.

As we walked out the door, I watched as Sam, Rhodey, Vision and Wanda came into view. Sam was probably my favorite at the moment, out of the group. Steve looked them over, and he glanced at us.

We spent the next few hours and began their training. We went through hand to hand combat, and I was thrilled to see Natasha beating the hell out of Rhodey and Sam. With Wanda, I helped her with her powers. That was going to be her weapon, so she needed to know how to use it. Steve demonstrated several points on what he wanted everyone to learn, and he used Natasha and I as examples.

I allowed her to use me as the victim, though it would have been easy to throw her into a wall. She knew that too, when I started to get frustrated. We had been training for the better part of the day.

"Need a break?" she teased.

"If I didn't like you I'd kill you," I snorted. "And him."

"I heard that."

I snarled a little, and we split and trained the others just a little more. We went over how to act together when in intense situations, and that fell together better than I thought. When we were finally done for the day, I had truly got my work out. Steve put his hands on his hips as he regarded me. I glared at him when he smiled widely.

"You know, I haven't been on a date since the 1940's," he said easily. "But, I know enough that I want you ready by 7pm."

I blinked in surprise, and pushed my bangs from my eyes. "By 7?" I asked slowly. "You're serious."

"I am, and you aren't allowed to pay for anything," Steve grinned.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he held up a hand to silence me. I promptly shut it and gave him a look. Steve simply arched his brow at me, giving me the get going look. I had no smart remark for it.

"Nope, this is what's happening. So best get a move on. And dress nice," he shook his head, his voice even.

"Oh, you…you are so lucky," I hissed, getting up.

I smacked him lightly in the chest, and walked past him to leave the room. He turned around, catching my attention before I left.

"Wear your hair down," he suggested. "It's pretty when it's down."

This time, it was my turn to blush and I swiftly left the room before he could cause any further damage. It was usually very hard to make me feel human, but he had always done a good job. I had to remember something though, that he probably was doing this as a favor. He had done what no one else had for me. This was just one more thing to add to the list.

Thankfully, we all lived on the grounds, so I didn't have far to go. I rushed into my apartment and quickly got into the shower. I took the time to relax and clean up nicely. Wrapped up in a towel and dried off, I went and found something to wear. It was colder out, so I settled for a pair of skinny jeans, a white tank top with a gray wrap sweater. I found some matching heels, making sure they weren't too high. I got dressed, and laid my sweater out and went and dried my hair and left the dark locks down. My hair had a slight wave to it, and it went down slightly past my shoulders.

Back when I was a dragon, I never worried about this sort of thing. I had never been with anyone, dragon or human for very long, so this was all new to me. As humans had changed the world, I had been forced to advance with them. Many of their habits had rubbed off on me. I almost grumbled to myself, but then looked in the mirror again.

Sighing, I finished my make up and glanced at the time. He'd be here in at least fifteen minutes. Brushing my teeth, I made sure I was ready and then put on my sweater. Grabbing my phone and wallet, I put them in a small purse and shut it. I was just putting on my shoes, wasting time when there was a knock at the door. I narrowed my eyes, finding that I was nervous. Finding my courage, which the thought had me snorting to myself, I stood up and went to the door.

Opening it, I came face to face with Steve and for a moment the both of us were silent. He was wearing a nice blue button up shirt and black pants. It was odd seeing him dressed up. Usually he was simply in a t-shirt or his uniform, though he looked good either way.

"You look beautiful," he said finally.

"You clean up pretty nice yourself," I answered, shutting the door when he motioned for us to go.

"I try," Steve sighed. "I had help with that over the last two years."

I chuckled, following him out of the building and below to his car. I flushed when he opened the door for me, and I slipped in with a soft thank you. When he got in, I arched my brow.

"It's too cold for the bike, okay?" he said plainly.

"That never stopped you," I laughed.

"Ha ha," he smiled, pulling out.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"It's a surprise," Steve smiled. "You'll like it, don't worry."

We left the facility and found ourselves on the highway. I glanced at the sun that was slowly starting to set. Soon, a city came into view, and I arched my brow a little.

"You know, I hope I didn't force you into this," I smiled, glancing back over to him.

"Oh no, you didn't," Steve laughed. "Trust me, I would not be taking you out if I didn't want to."

"Well, I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not," I teased.

"It's a compliment," he replied, making me laugh.

We came into another city an hour later, and glancing at the sign I saw we were just outside of Brooklyn. He found a place to park once we got downtown, and helped me out of the car. I let him loop my arm through his, and he led me to a place that was looking over the water. I blinked at the view, since I could see well in the dark and tilted my head a little.

"We'll be dining on the roof," he smiled. "Don't worry, it's inside."

I laughed. "I'm not complaining."

"Feeling like a lady yet?" Steve teased.

"It is a possibility," I hummed, making him truly smile.

He walked us inside, and the woman standing at the desk smiled at the both of us. I knew she instantly recognized Steve and she nodded at him.

"It's all ready," she smiled. "Right this way."

"Thank you," he nodded.

We went up the flight of stairs, following the woman to the upstairs. No one was up there beside two waiters, we had it all to ourselves. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, seeing that he had gone so far just for a date.

"Wow," I breathed, impressed.

There was a table by the large window, and it over looked the water. He led us over and pulled out the chair for me. I sat down, smiling at him in thanks and set my purse beside my feet.

"This is gorgeous," I commented. "When did you do this?"

"Oh, I can plan believe it or not," Steve answered. "I'm not stuck in the 40's, I promise."

I grinned, "Sometimes I wonder if I'm stuck in the 1500's. It's doesn't happen very often."

Steve laughed, "So is that when you came to earth?"

"I think so," I mused, glancing at the menu.

"Wait, you can't remember?" he demanded.

"I'm an old lady, kind sir," I smiled, fluttering my lashes.

He laughed, one of the loudest laughs I have ever heard from him which made me grin even wider. We both decided on what we wanted to eat, and ordered it after the waiter poured us both a cup of wine.

"So, how many dates have you gone on?" he asked.

"I'm probably just as bad as you," I stated sadly.

"Really? I can't imagine why," Steve gasped, and I glared at him.

"I just get along so well with others," I smiled, and he snorted in laughter.

"Well then," he vowed, lifting his glass. "Here is to the first date in ages, and may we both be blessed with more."

"Here, here," I toasted, clinking our glasses.

We both laughed, and I took a drink while looking out the window. It was truly a beautiful view. Steve watched me for a moment, and tilted his head. No one had ever gone out of their way to plan something nice for me. In all my years, this was something new.

"So, tell me more about when you first came here," he pushed. "I've never heard much."

"Because it's not a story lightly told," I sighed. "Many of my kind came with me. But sadly, most of them were killed. We were monsters back then."

"I know you are capable of it," Steve sighed. "Did you ever meet anyone important?"

"I knew lots of Kings, and rulers," I nodded. "I laid waste to a few kingdoms. It was when we lost our numbers that I went into hiding. I became human. I've always had a human form, I just never had to use it until about a hundred years ago."

"Right around the time I was born," Steve mused.

"I heard about when you joined, and what they did," I nodded. "As with everyone else. I remember that."

"Were you in the war?" Steve glanced at me curiously. "You've never said anything about it."

"No, and yes," I shrugged, taking a drink. "I was present when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I helped under the cover of night, opening up a few ships that I could to save the soldiers inside."

"I heard it was awful," he nodded.

"It was something out of a nightmare. I was never in the aftermath of my attacks. So when I saw this, what humans did to each other, I decided that I'd never attack again unless I had to," I hummed softly, taking another drink. "I lost a very dear friend of mine that year."

"We all did, it seems," he sighed.

I smiled, "My history is long and boring, and yours isn't. I found out all about you in the two years we lived together."

He laughed. "Yes, I'm a sucker for talking. I've always been curious about you. How did you meet Tony?"

"Hmmm...back before he was Iron Man. He helped me with something, and somehow saw me in my dragon form coming home from a flight once. It was awful, he was extremely annoying. Still is," I muttered.

I shifted back when our food arrived, and the smell of the shrimp stir fry I had picked out almost had my mouth watering. I had to hand it to humans, there were so many things about their world that I liked. Once I had been able to safely explore it, I had regretted many things I had done.

"So why do you stay around us humans?" Steve questioned slowly, after we took a few bites of food.

I almost choked on my shrimp, but I managed to swallow it smoothly. Looking at him, I threw his question around in my head for a moment, and took another drink of wine.

"In the beginning, I wasn't sure," I admitted. "But after that first fight, you told me you'd make sure I was safe. I was quite surprised, you took me in. You didn't know much about this time, and you had no idea who I was, but you were willing to help. It's very rare to find that in humans."

"Oh, stop you are boosting my ego," he chuckled.

"Ha," I snorted at him, and took another bite of my meal and swallowed it. "For me..it was when you fell from the helicarrier. I really thought you were going to die that day. I found that I was making my choice without really realizing it. Once a dragon gives her loyalty, it cannot be shaken. I'd most likely follow you till the end of the line."

Steve looked at me in surprise, but for a moment I saw that he knew that my answer was something he already knew. He gave me a soft smile, and we finished our dinner and drinks in comfortable silence. When the meal was done, he got to his feet and approached me.

"Do you dance?" he asked.

"Do I have a choice?" I replied, as the waiters put on some music.

"No," Steve answered, pulling me to my feet.

I laughed and let him draw me to the center of the room. He pulled me forward, and took my hand, while his other rested on my back. I blushed, unable to help it and it made my cheeks hurt.

"I must be doing something right," he chuckled. "I don't think I've seen you blush like that."

"I think you just won best date of all time," I laughed softly.

"I like that," he approved. "Feeling like a lady yet?"

"Very much," I admitted.

"Good."

He moved us through the song easily, and I found out that Captain America could actually dance. He had told me once, he didn't know how to dance. They played older music, which I found I enjoyed much more than what they had today. We spent the next hour dancing to whatever they played, and I found myself twirling and dancing like I never had before. In my hundreds of years, I had never had so much fun. We talked about random things, what things annoyed us and some of our fondest memories. I found out he loved celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that made me laugh. Like Christmas was a big secret. I also found out that it was impossible for him to get drunk. It was extremely hard for me as well, but he couldn't even get buzzed.

"That's awful," I laughed. "I have to spend several hundred if I want to even get a little buzz."

"Doesn't even work on me," Steve grinned.

We split a dessert, and when we were done he took me down to the boardwalk. I listened to the waves for a moment before I walked with him, looping my arm through his. We walked out to the pier, all the way to the end and I took a breath of fresh ocean air.

"This was honestly the best evening I've ever had," I smiled. "Thank you. I needed this."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Steve nodded, leaning against the railing. "I needed it too."

I smiled, and looked out over the ocean as the moon came out from behind the clouds. It was a full moon, and brighter than I had seen in a while. I was usually too busy flying at night to notice, so I took it in. After a little while, Steve wrapped an arm around my waist and we headed back toward the car. It was past midnight when we got back to the facility.

"So about that movie," he mused. "Feel tired yet?"

"If you let me sleep in tomorrow, no I'm not," I answered instantly.

He laughed. "Great."

We parked back at our building, and he led me to his apartment. It was weird not living with him, but at the same time I was enjoying being back on my own. I followed him when he walked in, and took off my shoes. Wiggling my toes I sighed happily when I was out of the heels. I set my purse down on the table in the hall and followed him into the living room.

When the new facility had been built, Tony had put in several apartments, and studio apartments in the building, giving us the option to stay. Steve had taken the full one bedroom, enjoying the fact that he could cook alone if he had to get away. I had not been totally picky about it, settling for a studio instead. Tony had known how to put all the comforts of home at our home office of work.

"I hope you like bad comedies."

"Honestly, you laugh harder at the stupid ones," I offered.

As he prepared popcorn, I walked out onto the balcony and looked out over the woods. The stars were out in all their glory tonight. I jumped suddenly when the door swung open and he walked out and joined me. I could tell he was nervous all of the sudden, but I tried not to let it show.

"Just in case I don't get to, tonight," he murmured, turning me to face him.

"Wh..."

I never got to finish my sentence, because my lips suddenly became very busy. I would be lying if I said he was a bad kisser. The hum that left my throat almost turned into a purr, as I found myself kissing him back. Our lips moved together wonderfully, and when he pulled away, I felt my heart hammering in my chest.

"Well, now that we got that out of the way," Steve hummed, pressing his lips to mine once more. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure," I answered, my voice a hum.

The movie we ended up watching was one of the dumbest ones we could find. He still liked older things, and so I ended up picking Blazing Saddles. He took the suggestion, and once the movie was over he decided to play something else. By then, I was laid out against him on the couch, exhausted from the whole day. Steve was one of the few that I didn't mind being woken up by. We had lived together, so I had been used to it. His fingers trailed down my cheek, making my eyes flutter open.

"If you're tired, we should move to the bed," he murmured softly.

"Mmm, how long was I asleep?" I asked, sitting up.

"Not long," he chuckled.

"Sorry," I flushed, and he lifted my chin.

Steve shook his head, and pressed his lips to mine firmly. I couldn't help but return it, and soon I was lost in it. He made me feel like a woman, a regular woman. Not a dragon, or some freak of nature, he made me feel almost normal. As normal as we can get anyway. I couldn't remember how we got to the bed, or when our clothes came off, but I had never felt so much pleasure in my life.

By the time we were finished, it was close to four in the morning. My body was so satisfied, that I barely had the energy to get up and clean up with him. He pulled out a shirt for me, and I quietly slipped into my panties again before I got back into bed. It was the best sleep I had ever had.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you to all the recent activity on this! :D It makes me so happy that people still enjoy this story, I honestly thought it was dead. So, enjoy this update!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

I woke late the next morning to the smell of coffee and food. Sitting up, I saw that Steve wasn't with me so when I listened, I heard him in the kitchen. When I listened harder, I heard he wasn't alone and I almost panicked. Glancing to the nightstand beside me, I saw a fresh pair of my own clothes there and I blinked. Grateful, I slipped into the master bath and silently pulled on my clothes and washed my mouth out. Throwing my long hair up in a loose bun, I slipped into my slippers. He had given me sweats and a tank top to wear. I smirked a little, but was happy because it was comfortable. Walking out of the room, I went down the hall and to the kitchen where I heard talking. Sam was sitting at the bar, and he grinned when I walked out.

"Well, isn't this a lovely surprise," he smirked.

I went to say something, when a cup of coffee was placed in my hands. Glancing up at Steve, I caught his witty look and he pressed a kiss to my lips. It almost shocked me, at the display of affection, but I was able to easily return it, and mask the expression.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Good morning," I hummed, quite happily.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Great, thank you," I murmured, gesturing to my clothes with my eyes.

He caught the hint and grinned. "Sam got here early, I was in the middle of making breakfast."

"Oh, he cooks too," I smiled, going to join Sam at the bar.

"I take it you two had fun last night," Sam observed, and Steve shrugged.

"It was all right," he answered.

"Oh come on man, you wouldn't stop talking about it before hand," Sam snorted, and laughed when Steve glared him.

"I had a wonderful time," I interrupted easily. "Best night of my life."

"Ah, see that says something," Steve smiled, pointing the spatula at his friend.

"We are having men issues aren't we?" I chuckled.

"No," Sam snorted.

"Right," I laughed.

"Sam didn't think I knew how to take a girl on a date," Steve sighed, faking sadness.

I arched my brow, enjoying this side of him. "Oh Sam, how could you?"

"He said I was too old," Steve snorted, and Sam laughed.

We dug into breakfast after it was served, and I admired the taste of the food. The man also knew how to cook, and I was feeling very undomesticated. The look on my face set off some amusement in his eyes.

"So what's the plan today?" Sam asked, a bit later.

"More personal training. Kayden will be in today," Steve answered.

"I love to be volunteered as the punching bag," I sighed.

"That's only if they manage to beat you," he snorted.

"Great, time to get my ass handed to me, by a woman," Sam complained.

"If it makes you feel better, dragoness is a better term," I shot back.

"Not really," he grumbled. "Thanks for breakfast. I'll see you guys this afternoon."

I nodded quietly and watched as he left. Once the door was safely shut, I sent a look to Steve who almost choked on his orange juice. He was able to swallow it before giving me a shit eating grin.

"Sorry. I was seriously making breakfast for us when he knocked at the door," he sighed. "I couldn't say no."

"Yea, I know. Thanks for the clothes at least," I sighed, laughing softly.

"He knew anyway," he shrugged.

He walked around the kitchen bar and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I leaned into it, and watched as he walked off to go hop in the shower. I grinned, wanting to cause trouble, but instead I continued sipping on my coffee.

"Are you coming?"

Leaning back in amusement, I caught him looking back at me with a mischievous expression. I sighed dramatically, and pushed myself from the stool and walked down the hallway after him.

"If you insist."

"Oh, I insist," he hummed, pulling me to him.

He brought me into an intense kiss and picked me up and hurried down the hall. Using one arm, he turned on the shower, while the other kept me in his hold. I laughed when I was finally set down and quickly shed my clothes. I hopped into the hot water before him, giddy for the first time in centuries. He followed, and I was sure there was more sex than there was washing. We cleaned up, but not after we were both satisfied.

I was amazed at the side of him I thought I was never going to see. I sighed when I was dressed again, and I put my hair in a french braid while it was still wet. He watched me, pulling on his own clothes for the day.

"Nat isn't going to be in today, she's on some mission for Fury. So we'll go in and see going on," he said, pulling on his shirt.

"Okay," I nodded. "I need to change into actual clothes before we go there."

"I kind of like you in sweats," he smiled.

"Should I pack a bag?" I teased, as he came over.

"Mm, it is Friday. You could very well stay the weekend," Steve approved softly, his hands resting on my hips.

"Only if you want me to," I breathed.

He smiled again at me and nodded. "I'll meet you in the gym. Maybe you should stay in sweats. It might be easier to move in."

I snorted at him, and grabbed my things and headed out of his apartment and to my own. He went the other way after throwing a fond glance over his shoulder. I left what needed to be left at my place. Grabbing a small bag, I threw some clothes in it, and also grabbed my bathroom things. I changed my pants and threw on a sweater instead. Pulling on my shoes, I walked out of the apartment and down to my car thirty minutes later, only after I had dropped off my over night bag two floors down.

I ran some errands around the city, having things I needed to pick up. Wanda had said she had wanted a few things, so I was kind enough to pick them up. She wasn't exactly a legal citizen, so I was doing what I could for her. After my shopping, I headed back toward my car.

When I got into the garage, I unlocked the car and put the bags inside. As I opened the door, I caught a scent that had my eyes going red. Putting the keys in my pocket, I shut the door and calmly turned around. I was not surprised to find myself staring at a chest. He was so close I could hear his heart beating. The scent that flooded my nose had the hair on the back of my neck standing up. If I was anyone else, I would have cowered in a corner.

Instead, a snarl left my lips and I sent my arm out in a powerful shove that sent him flying. I watched him get up, and I was greeted with bright green eyes, a handsome face and black hair.

"I thought our kind was dead," I growled.

"Well, in a way we are," he smiled. "You can call me Jaron. I've seen you all over the news. I thought it was time I came to find you."

I shifted slightly, and I glared. "Why is that?"

When he didn't answer at first, I spied a tattoo on the side of his neck. It was the same one that Bucky had on his metal arm. I shifted a little uneasily and I opened my senses. So, they thought they could trick me? If this had been any other time, I would have destroyed this whole place.

"You picked the wrong target," I hissed, furious.

As he shifted, I threw my door open and started the car. Throwing it into reverse, I was flying out of the garage moments later. The tires squealed in protest, and I noticed that he had been ready for me to deny him anything. I spied at least three other vehicles that were following me. Cursing loudly, I pressed on the gas and managed to lose them on the highway. I took the long way to the facility, and when I was finally pulling up the long dirt road, I noticed something in my rear view mirror. I wasn't alone.

I sucked in a breath, and hit the brakes hard, causing the dragon to fly right past me. With an enraged roar, he turned and blew fire. I drove right through it, glad that all of our vehicles had some protection. But dragonfire could damage anything. It melted the engine and I grabbed my things and jumped out. All the commotion had put the facility on high alert at least. I rolled painfully, and snarled under my breath. I had managed to make it to the building at least, and as I stood up, Steve was already coming out.

Jaron landed, roaring as he did so and spreading his wings in an impressive display. I could tell that he was younger than I was, which gave me the advantage. I set my things down, and marched out onto the grass, calling attention to the beast in front of me. I pushed my transformation, and when I was done, I slammed his head to the ground.

"If you don't leave now, I'll kill you," I hissed.

"Killing your own kind now?" he snorted, pain clear in his voice.

"If you are part of Hyrda, you are no dragon," I growled. "We cannot be controlled."

My claws dug into his neck, making him whine loudly. He tried pulling back from me, but it was no use. Instead, he lashed out and dug his own claws into my shoulders and suddenly shot fire at my belly. I roared, and stayed where I was, aware that it would hit the building if I moved. When he was done, I reared back and he lunged for my throat. It was well protected, and instead he clamped down on my jaws. In a fit of anger, I struck him with my tail and threw him to the ground as he ripped back from my muzzle.

It was a brief fight, but I managed to chase him away. I listened as he roared in pain from one last attack. I knew as I watched him retreat into the clouds that I had made a grave mistake. I should have killed him, but I couldn't bring myself to do that so quickly. I had been the only dragon in this time, and suddenly I wasn't. I wanted to know how Hydra had got their hands on one. When I knew it was safe, I turned human again, ignoring the injuries I had that weren't healing.


	18. Chapter 18

**Reviews popping up alerted me how long it's been since I updated. I'm here, and alive, and I will finish this story lol. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

Turning, I marched up the stairs of the building and didn't say a word to Steve as I opened the doors. Maria Hill was there when I went into the main office and she gasped. I was aware that several others quit what they were doing to exit the room.

"Oh my god, are you all right?" she demanded.

"I want to know everything about him. His name is Jaron and he's part of Hydra," I demanded. "I want to know how they got their hands on him, and I want to know when. And where the hell he came from."

"I'll get back to you in an hour," she nodded firmly.

"Thank you," I breathed, glad she didn't react to my anger.

Moving, I left the room and headed to the showers to get cleaned up. Steve stopped me half way there, and I lifted my hand at his look. I realized that my chest was heaving, and I was bringing in deep breaths.

"I'm covered in blood, and I'm extremely angry," I said quietly. "All I know about him is his name is Jaron, and he's part of Hydra. Maria is on it."

"She'll find him," he nodded. "She finds everything. Meet me back in the gym."

I nodded and went off to clean up. I threw my clothes out and put on something new, and pulled my shoes back on. Looking in the mirror, I noticed my eyes were red and I blinked firmly to get them back to normal. Taking a large breath, I walked back out and headed to the gym. Steve was there, with Sam, Wanda and Vision. Wanda was learning how to better control her powers thanks to Vision, while Sam was doing some personal training.

Steve was in his uniform, and he glanced at me when I came out. I was still incredibly angry, and I had given up on try to keep my eyes normal. I knew they were red just by the way Wanda and Sam reacted.

"Ignore her," Steve ordered. "One thing you will learn about being on the team with us, is that when she gets like this it is best to just ignore her. Don't show fear, and don't pick a fight. This is strictly from what we have learned from her."

"Are all dragons this way?" Wanda asked quietly.

"Yes," I answered sharply. "By the way your things are in Maria's office."

I knew she tried hard not to flinch at my tone, so I forced my eyes to stay on Steve when she did. The anger I was feeling was close to rage, and that was the last thing I wanted to do right now.

"This is what it's like to deal with a dragon," Steve sighed, catching my attention again.

"I'm not always like this," I growled.

"No," he smiled. "You're not."

I barely had a chance when he suddenly flung his shield at me. Managing to catch it, I growled at him and threw it back to him only to find him in my space. Baring my teeth, I ducked a swing from him, and shoved his boot down when he went to kick me. We danced around the whole side of the gym and all my rage soon went away as I focused on my fight. It let all the energy out and as he put me in a choke hold, I managed to flip him over my shoulder and slam him to the ground.

The first year I had been around him, he had taken it upon himself to help distract me from my bouts of rage. We had come up with a routine, where I'd have to focus my energy on something else. It had been extremely successful, and so we had continued it. Memories surfaced in my head as Steve hit the floor hard. When we had first started this, he had all but destroyed me. Steve Rogers was skilled in almost every single martial arts. His ability to read people, and see something before it comes in battle had been my biggest challenge. I had been on the mat several times before I had been able to hold my own.

Steve grunted, but kicked my feet out from underneath me. I hit the ground hard, and the air left my lungs painfully. I hissed, and as he scrambled to pin me I kicked him hard in the stomach and flipped back onto my feet. He deflected the next few hits, and I slammed a fist into his shield. It caused it to ring, making me flinch at the sound. Steve used that, and charged me and used his shield to throw me to the ground. He used a powerful thrust, and it sent me flying. I hit the weights in the middle of the gym, and let out a hum of pain.

"Ow," I growled.

"Ow? Did I just hear that?" Steve asked loudly.

My eyes turned to slits, and I grabbed the largest weight they had and I threw it at him. He was able to catch it, and used his shield to throw it back at me. I caught it with both hands and tossed it to the ground.

"Gotta be better then that, D," he dared.

"Don't," I warned him.

"We've done worse," he answered, pestering me.

I growled at him and charged forward. He managed to side step and slam his shield into me so hard that blood filled my mouth. I was still so angry, that I grabbed him by his throat and slammed him to the ground. Steve was not unprepared. He shifted, and yanked me down with him. I tried to roll away from his attack, but he hit me with the shield, and it really sent me rolling. I didn't get back up from the last hit, and laid there panting.

"I hate that thing!" I snarled, talking about the shield.

"Is this how you guys always are?" Sam asked.

"No," Steve replied, catching his breath. "I had come up with a routine. Whenever she got mad, we'd go to the gym. It'd distract her. Better to let her fight me than go out and burn down cities. She threatened to once, and that didn't end well."

"Good point," Sam hummed.

"I'd rather burn down cities!" I complained. "Much less painful!"

Vision came up to me with an impressed look. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I grunted.

"Could you beat him in human form?" Vision asked.

"I honestly don't believe I can," I replied. "You're talking about a man who perfects his skill everyday...all the time. I've always been able to fight, but not at the level of Captain America. Put me in dragon form and I'd squash him like a bug."

"Remind me never to piss you off," Sam said, from Steve's side.

Vision helped me up, and I felt my back crack. It made me suck in my breath, and I glowered at Steve from where he stood. I was happy to see him just as battered however, and that alone made it worth it. Heels on the wood floor caught my attention and I looked over to see Maria coming over.

"I got all I can," she said, motioning me to come over.

I thanked Vision and walked over to her, and we went and stood by the window to talk. She handed me a file, and I took it quietly. Maria looked at me gently, and I noticed something was a little wrong.

"What?" I asked.

"Be careful," she said slowly.

"Why?" I asked quietly.

"I found out what they want from you. It took some digging, and I pulled a few strings but I found it out. He's younger than you, only about a hundred and twenty years old. They found him when he was young, and killed everyone he knew. He's been trained just like Barnes."

I opened the file immediately, and looked over the profile they had on him. He was a different type of dragon. I was a northern dragon, and he was an ice dragon. Jaron didn't know where he came from either, so I guessed he was born on earth. I flipped through the next few pages and read about him and what we had on him.

"Bloody hell," I growled, and flipped to the next page.

I froze half way through reading it, and looked up at Maria. She gave me an apologetic look, and lowered her eyes. I read the whole page and forced myself not to tremble as I read it. They wanted me for my power, and my mind. If they could control it, they could kill the Avengers. That was their goal, to turn me into a mindless beast to do their bidding. If they could get their hands on me, it'd be over.

"If I find him, I'll kill him," I promised quietly.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"No...no, it's what I asked for. I needed to know this," I shook my head. "Thank you, Maria."

She nodded, and turned and walked off. I shut the file firmly and stared at it for several minutes. I barely noticed that the others followed her out, at her gesture. Sitting down on the ledge of the window, I gripped the file tightly. Boots appeared in my line of sight, and Steve quietly crouched in front of me.

"Talk," he ordered.

"Remember when Bucky was sent after us?" I asked. "When he caught me at the safe house?"

"Yes."

"Hyrda has wanted to get their hands on me for a long time," I said quietly. "It makes sense now, how he knew what to do. How to weaken me. They had a dragon this whole time."

"What do they want, Kayden?" Steve questioned, turning it into an order.

"My power," I answered. "My mind. All of it. They want to turn me into a mindless beast and a lab rat. Their goal is to first kill all of you and then turn us loose on the world. I could only assume that would be their next step anyway."

"We won't let them," he vowed firmly. "We have something they don't. Vision will help us, and we have Thor. If we have to send you to Asgard we will."

I looked up at him in surprise. "Send me away?"

"If it was our only choice, yes I would. But it's not," he said gently. "We can protect you here. You can protect yourself. You are far older then this new dragon right?"

"Of course," I nodded.

"The older the dragon, the more powerful. No matter what," Steve rumbled.

I nodded again at that. He was right, there was nothing they could do about that. I took a quiet breath, and for a moment panic almost took me over. He must have seen it in my eyes, because he reached up to touch my cheek. My eyes fluttered at the touch, and I looked at him.

"Come on, let's go. I'm starving and I think I need an ice pack," he sighed.

I cracked a smile at that. "Oh come on old man, it wasn't that bad," I jested.

"I was trying to make you feel better," he replied, and I had to snort in laughter.

He pulled me to my feet, and kept me a few inches from him. I reached out and laid a hand on his chest to center myself, and took a deep breath. What Hydra wanted, that alone almost set off my anger all over again. Burning down cities was a tempting idea. I wanted them all dead.

"As long as I'm alive, they won't touch you," he promised, breaking through my thoughts.

"I truly adore you," I murmured, making him smile.

We walked out of the gym together and met up with the others. Vision looked at me as we were walking over, so he moved to join us. I lifted my gaze, and gave him my attention when he stopped in front of me.

"Maria told us what was going on," he said softly. "You will be protected. I will help you."

"So will I," Wanda nodded.

"And me," Sam agreed.

I looked at them, truly touched by their words. "Thank you," I answered. "That truly means something to me."

"I will be alert to anything, and should I hear a whisper, you will know," Vision vowed.

Nodding gratefully to him, I watched as they moved off to get something to eat. I wanted to go home, but I knew there was still work that needed to be done. I grabbed something to drink while Steve ate some lunch.

"Well, you sure know how to cause a ruckus, dragon."

I looked up when I saw Fury walking over, his hands behind his back. I glowered at him, not able to help it. He could irritate the hell out of me so easily.

"It wasn't intended," I muttered.

"Take the rest of the day and go home," Fury sighed. "Captain Rogers will accompany you. I will take over training from here. Natasha is back from her mission. I think we can handle not having you for the weekend."

I blinked at him in surprise for a moment, and then shook it firmly. "No, I'm not going home. Not yet. I will not be a sitting duck. That's exactly what they want, is for me to go home. I won't put Steve in the middle of that."

"Either way, I don't think it matters where she is," Steve confirmed. "If they have a dragon, and they want her, they'll come for her."

"They are extremely stupid," I grunted.

Fury chuckled, his deep voice echoing around the hall. I sighed in defeat, and walked away from them. I wanted to be alone, and they were not helping. I went to the back of the facility and opened my senses. When I didn't smell or hear anything, I sat down in the sun. I knew that I wasn't exactly alone, and that someone was monitoring me, but they didn't come join me. I was happy for that.

 **Review please? Pretty please...**


	19. Chapter 19

**Oh my, happy 2018 everyone. Sorry I haven't been as active on this as I want to be. But, I'm so glad that people are still finding this story! Thank you to the few reviews that popped up, it makes me happy to see that you are enjoying the story! I really enjoyed writing it. Happy New Year, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

A week later, I was heading home from a long day of traveling, and Steve said he'd meet me at the compound. We had found leads on a few people in Hydra that we wanted to take down. Every time we had closed in, they disappeared again. I was on the highway, crossing over the river when I noticed the shadow pass over the car. I had no time, as the dragon flew forward and turned.

Fire spewed from his mouth, over a bunch of cars, including mine. Unable to hit the brakes fast enough, I slammed into the back of a truck and the car flipped. Gasping in pain, I forced myself to wait for the car to stop. It completed one roll before it came to a stop. I could smell gas leaking from it, and I forced myself to action. Breaking the seat belt, I broke my door and crawled out.. Pushing myself shakily to my feet, I heard the rumble of a dragon and the breath before the flame. I was running as the fire hit the cars again.

He was giving me no choice on escape, keeping my exits blocked off. I had no time to transform, and that scared me. Rolling from the force of the explosion, I shoved myself to my feet again, and came face to face with men in suits. For the first time in my life, I felt fear. I didn't want to be captured.

"It's a shame. I figured you'd put up much more of a fight," one of them smiled, making me glare.

The guns that the men held fired, and I felt darts hit me. Two in the stomach, and one in the shoulder. The affects came just seconds later. My vision swam, and I felt my body begin to sag. No! Panicking, I thought of Steve, but the connection didn't work that way. He could call me, not the other way around. Stumbling a little, I watched as the men in suits came forward. They had a net. No.

I was not about to become their weapon. Forcing myself up, I glared at them and fangs formed in my mouth. I had to get away from them. Focusing was hard, but I shed my human form and took my real one. A roar had all the humans covering their ears. Jaron's roar echoed me, but it was a challenge. If I was going to get away, I had to kill him. I didn't want to kill another of my kind, but if he lived, they'd find me. Swinging around, I looked at the male dragon. I was much larger than he was. He wasn't ready when I lunged forward.

My jaws locked around his throat, and he screeched. I ignored the terrified roar, and ripped back, showing him no mercy. Blood flowed from the open wound, and he bled out in minutes. I forced myself to watch him fall to the ground, my eyes glittering. He looked at me in shock as he died, but I showed him nothing in my expression. That's not how it worked. I wasn't about to feel sorry for saving my life. I could feel my body started to fail, the sedative taking its toll on me. This was going to be all over the news. Not wanting to cause anymore destruction, I turned human again. It had my vision going black for a moment.

"Another."

The sound of a gun firing, and another dart hit me. I ripped it out as fast as I could. Running to the side of the bridge, I looked at the river below. They weren't going to get me, and before they could stop me, I jumped. Hitting the water was a little painful, and I had made sure to take a huge breath. Forcing myself to stay awake, I fought the drug in me as I washed down the river. It was fast moving, and without their dragon, I was safe for now. They didn't see me resurface. Now, my only problem was getting home.

After a few miles, I managed to pull myself onto the bank. Woods surrounded me, so I knew I was going to be safe. It hurt to move, and my head was killing me. Whatever they had pumped me full of was working. I suspected that any younger dragon would have fallen under. Leaning against a tree, I sucked in gulps of air. I couldn't pass out, they might still find me. Pulling myself into the trees, I sank down again and leaned against one, keeping the river in my sight.

Nothing came down it. No boats, no aircraft, nothing. I was on my own. Now that I had made it out alive, I could feel my body go numb. All the adrenaline that had helped me escape was now fading. Forcing my eyes to stay open, I tried to get my brain working in order to stay awake. This made me angry, and that anger helped me.

By the time the sun started sinking, I was losing my battle. It had been hours since I had escaped them. As I started to think I'd have to find my way back to the compound, I noticed something flying over the river. Sam. He was scanning the trees, he'd find me. Letting out a harsh breath, I almost cried out in joy at seeing him. I was found, I'd be safe now.

He found me, right as he got to where I was hiding. Sam wasn't only looking for me, I knew he was also scanning for hostiles. He lingered for just a moment before diving down, and his thrusters closed. Landing just a few feet from me, he hurried over.

"Found her," he said, and knelt. "D?"

"I'd stand up...and hug you...but I can't feel my body," I whispered, my voice thick.

He nodded, and reached out to pick me up when a soft beep had him freezing. Someone had made it past his sensors. I could hear the click of a gun, and panic filled my body. I was useless!

"Thank you, Mr. Wilson for leading us to her," a man said. "She has proven to be most difficult."

"You act like I'm just going to hand her over."

"Oh, you will," he smiled, coming into view.

He was a Russian man, his accent very heavy. Sam moved to stand in front of me, and I watched him shift ever so slightly. The only thing I could smell was my own panic. Leaning my head against the tree, I gave a soft hiss in anger.

"I guess it's a good thing he didn't come alone."

The sound of Steve's voice had my eyes flying open. Vision and Steve both descended onto the scene. Vision took out the man in front of us instantly, and then disappeared. I could hear noises in the forest, assuming he was taking care of the other men. Sam lifted into the air again to go help him, while Steve came over to me.

"Come here," he murmured, kneeling and picking me up.

I was able to just barely move my arms, and wrap them around his neck. He lifted me like I was nothing, and drew me close to his chest. Steve moved through the trees and I barely registered that he got on the Quinjet. I didn't even realize the jet was here, I had not heard it. Breathing out harshly, I would have flinched when he set me down, but I couldn't. Or I did and I didn't feel it. It was hard to keep my eyes open, and I watched as Steve hooked IV lines up. I couldn't feel that either, which was nice. Needles were horrible. I hated feeling them under my skin.

"Getting fluids in you," Steve murmured.

"I...didn't know you knew how to be a nurse," I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"Forgot to tell you," he tried to tease.

I could hear the worry in his tone, but he was keeping it together extremely well. My whole brain was a mess. I would have been reduced to tears if I had any sense, but instead, I just watched as he set up the IV.

"Close your eyes," he murmured. "You're safe now.."

"Lifting off."

Clint's voice. Clint was here? For once, I listened and closed my eyes. The moment I did, I was drifting off into a black sleep. There was no dreaming, no nothing. Just black.

* * *

 **More to come, I'll try not to abandon you for a month this time!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I was bugged in a review that** **Rizzlesmyiles that they were gutted that they had run out of chapters. Well...here you go haha. Thanks for the review and bugging me! Don't stop, it's nice to know you enjoy the story so much!**

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

When my eyes opened again, I was in Steve's bed. I was alone, and I didn't know how long I had been asleep. It was extremely disorienting, and it caused me to sit straight up. The moment I did, I saw someone move to the side of me. Instantly, I was out of bed and putting space between me and whoever was in the room.

"Just me."

Hearing Steve's voice, I relaxed and leaned back against the wall that I had jumped toward. Steve walked forward and I lifted my head to meet his gaze. My vision was once again sharp, and I didn't feel so awful.

"We had Maria take some blood from you to study what they had put in you," he rumbled. "So that it won't happen again."

"How...did you find me?" I asked.

"Vision sensed the disturbance," he answered. "And Clint was in the area, so we immediately got moving. Vision burned the body of the dragon so that no one could get him."

"Good," I breathed. "Thank you.."

"It's not everyday that you need rescuing," Steve sighed. "So, don't worry about it."

Looking out the window, I took in that it was dark out. Glancing at the clock, I read it was eight at night. Blinking, I sucked in a breath.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Two days."

I would have started to cuss, but with him in front of me, I held it back. Sensing it, he smiled slightly and sighed softly. I watched him take his shirt off, noticing he was only in some gym shorts. It was odd seeing him in clothes like that. Tilting my head back to see him, I watched as he walked over. When he got close enough, I reached out and laid my hands on his stomach. Feeling his warm skin and the muscles beneath, helped me ground myself. I was awake, he was real, and I was safe.

Steve reached out and pulled me forward and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of my head, helping me relax. Moving, he drew me toward the bed and picked me up. It was easy for him to lay down and maneuver me to his liking, and mine. Staying curled against his chest, I wrapped my arm around him.

"All right?" he asked.

"Yea," I whispered.

"You sure?"

"Why?" I asked.

He cleared his throat a little, and lifted my hand that was wrapped around his waist. I gasped as I noticed the talons. Moving away from him, I carefully but quickly yanked my hand back. Forcing myself to concentrate, I made sure my fingers were human. Blinking a few times, I looked around for a moment. Steve slowly sat up, using nothing but his abs to do so. I didn't fail to notice that. He looked at me for a long moment, and then arched his brow.

"Gym."

It wasn't a suggestion, or a polite request. It was an order, simple and firm. I turned and walked out of the room. My skin was tingling as I walked down the long stretch of hall and toward the gym. I got there first, and immediately swung my fist on the punching bag. It broke, and I watched as it flew across the room. I stared at it for a moment, before I heard footsteps on the mat. Steve had put his shirt back on, and his shield was with him. I felt my fingers twitch. He threw it as always, and I caught it.

I fell for it each time. When I went to throw it away from me, he was in my space and flipping me onto the mat. I grunted when my back hit the ground, but kicked my feet out. I tripped him, and surged forward.

"Leaving yourself open," he chided, his hand hitting my stomach."Guard yourself."

"You guard yourself!"

He laughed, and caught every single punch and kick I threw. My body was heavy already, and the weakness I felt from the aftermath of this drug made me furious. Instead of flat out fighting, Steve started to guide and show me how to better use my anger. Even being slow, he matched me and didn't use too much force. He made me guard my open areas better, and learn to twist and move with him, avoiding hits. He made me think through my anger. It was always difficult to do, but it was working.

Steve knew I didn't need a brawl, I needed something to help me focus. It kept me human, and kept me under control a little better. It only lasted fifteen minutes, but by the end of it, I felt better. I learned a few things at least while this had been going. We walked it off and I let him drag me outside to see the stars. I glanced up at the night sky for a moment, before sitting down in the grass with as much grace as I could. More or less, I plopped down. He joined me, and rested his arm on his raised knee.

"Thank you," I said quietly, looking at my hands.

He looked at me, his expression easy, but all the emotion was in his eyes. It was always his eyes. People who didn't know him well enough could never see it, but I did. I was sure several others did as well. I scooted closer to him, and leaned against his shoulder quietly.

"We won't let that happen again," he murmured.

"No. Next time I won't be so stupid," I answered quietly.

"I wouldn't say it was stupid," Steve rumbled. "Just not alert enough. We didn't think he was as much of a threat. You weren't the only one they surprised."

Letting out a soft breath, I looked at the sky for a bit. We stayed out there until I couldn't take it anymore. I was sweaty, and I felt filthy. Stretching, I got to my feet and yanked him up with me. It made him laugh, and I felt my expression ease hearing it.

"Shower," I blinked, arching a brow.

"I could do with one."

I snorted in amusement, and we headed back toward his place. As we walked, I focused on the way my body felt. I was still heavy, but my skin was no longer tingling. There was some soreness here and there, but that didn't surprise me. I had no idea what the drug did to my body, so I wasn't sure what I should be feeling. Noticing my silence as we got into the bathroom, Steve hummed. I gave him a quick glance, and went over to the sink and washed my mouth out with the mouth wash. I had yet to bring an extra toothbrush to his place.

When I was done, I almost jumped as he came up behind me. He sighed gently, and turned me toward him. Grabbing my shirt, he lifted it over my head smoothly, and then proceeded to push my pants down. I stepped out of my clothes as he took his own off. Glancing at my body, I sucked in a soft breath when I saw the bruises from where the darts had hit me. Reaching up, I touched them, surprised that they had even left a mark.

Steve reached out and took my hand in his own. "They have been researching dragons for some time now. With their own little lab rat, they could figure out what hurt them and what didn't. Those will go away."

"I'm not used to bruising like that," I whispered. "Or having injuries not heal."

"I know," he replied, dragging me into the shower.

I had to follow him, since he didn't let go of my hand. Stepping into the double headed shower, I leaned back and let the water fall over my hair and back. It helped ease the tension in my body. Steve turned toward me, and reached out to draw me forward again. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, distracting me from my thoughts. I responded to him when he deepened the embrace, and I shivered when his fingers drifted down my back. When they moved to my sides, I squirmed a little, and he chuckled against my lips.

"Ticklish?" he smiled.

"Always," I laughed, unable to help it.

His smile stole my breath, and when he leaned down to start another kiss, I met him. The distraction, and love was worth it. He took me away from my thoughts, and as he lifted me up, I wrapped my legs around his hips. There was no hesitation in his thrust, and everything in my brain shattered. It wasn't soft and gentle, it was rough, hard, and extremely wonderful. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who needed it. Everything about him was wonderful, the way his fingers dug into my skin, or the way his eyes warmed when he met mine. I had never found that in anyone.

We found our release at the same time, and it was worth it. Leaning my head back against the tiled wall, I caught my breath as he pressed a kiss to my neck. It made my thighs clench around him, and he hummed. Carefully, he pulled back and set me on my feet. I reached up to press a kiss to his lips, earning a slight smile. He proceeded to wash me off, so I returned the favor. I even washed his hair, enjoying the way my fingers moved through the short strands. He enjoyed it as well, even though he never said anything. No man likes to admit they like their hair being played with.

When we finally went to bed that night, I didn't have any thoughts of the attack from Hydra. Instead, I comfortably curled into his side and went to sleep without dreaming. If he slept, I was sure it would have been the same.


	21. Chapter 21

**Oops...I left you hanging again. In my defense I did just move across the country...again...but I should have more time on my hands. I'm not making any promises haha, but this story is not dead, far from it!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

"OW!" Sam cried, hitting the floor.

I crossed my arms quietly, having just thrown him over my shoulder. He had tried to best me again, but it was no use. Over the week, I had begun to teach him what Steve had taught me. We went through the martial arts that had helped me so many times before. I caught both of his swings, and did a light upper cut, touching his chin.

"You leave yourself open. You need to start guarding yourself," I snorted. "Don't wildly swing your arms. You turn into a caveman. I learned the hard way not to leave yourself open."

"Yeah, yeah," he grunted, backing away.

I grinned at him. "Have you ever fought Natasha? She'd have shot you four or five times by now."

"It's true," Nat said, from where she sat on her computer.

"Ha," I laughed, and swung around when I heard a familiar hum.

I caught Steve's shield without budging. He had gone away for two days on a mission for Fury. I smiled a little, and raised a brow at Natasha when she gave a small smile of her own. While he had been gone, she had kept me company and made sure that Hydra was still gone. Steve had not been comfortable leaving so soon after such an attack, but I had shooed him off. We had gone out for drinks the night before, and I had to say I really enjoyed her. Steve jumped down from the track that circled above us, landing evenly. I threw the shield back to him, watching as he put it on his back.

"See, don't leave yourself open," I teased Sam, making him grunt.

"I hope you all stayed out of trouble," he mused, glancing at Natasha.

"I kept them all babysat," she huffed. "No worries."

We had yet to show each other affection in front of the other agents, even though they knew we were together. Or at least I think they knew. He looked over, and gave me a smile. I snorted, and shifted again when Sam thought he could take me by surprise. I tripped him, and used my arm to slam him to the ground. He grunted, and I heard the air rush from his lungs. I looked down at him, and made a face.

"What you think I would be oogling or something?" I demanded.

"Was kind of hoping," he whispered.

"Shame on you, Sam," I tisked. "I have much more discipline, and duh...good hearing."

"One of these days," he growled.

"Maybe when you use your wings," I grinned.

Reaching out, I helped him up and patted him on the shoulder. He sighed in defeat, and I tilted my head to watch him walk off. Steve was deep in discussion with Natasha about something. From the way his arms were crossed, I knew he was thinking something over. It had to be serious. Choosing to stay out of it, I decided on stretching out my sore muscles. My back cracked a few times, and it felt good to stretch my legs and cool off. I had been training all day, either on my own or teaching Rhodes and Sam.

Closing my eyes as I sat and touched my toes, I let out a slow breath. I kept myself tuned out of their conversation, and when I was done I headed into the showers. I changed into something else, and threw my clothes in a bag to take them back to wash. I left my hair down and dried it, glad to feel clean again. My day was over, so I was ready to go get out of this part of the facility. Humming to myself, I headed down the hall and paused when Fury came into sight.

"What?" I asked slowly.

"I have some information from Thor," he said. "Was actually coming to get you. Here."

He handed me a file, and I took it slowly while readjusting my bag. I looked back at him hopefully, and Fury nodded. Glancing back down at the folder, I felt the excitement swell in me. I had been waiting for this.

"He found information on dragons," he smiled slightly.

"That is great," I hummed, grinning.

"It was in some old book, and on top of that Thor was able to pick someone's brain," Fury nodded. "So he had Jane type it all up for him. There's not a lot, but I think it will help."

"Thanks, Fury," I answered, looking at him gratefully.

"Not a problem."

I walked off, wanting to read what was in the folder. I went to a quiet part of the facility, and sat down by the window and opened the folder. I wasn't sure how long I was there, but I finally found out where we had come from. A planet in one of the nine realms had been destroyed long ago, and Asgard had taken in the dragons that had been left. They had allied with the Asgardians, until Odin had sent them to Earth. By then there had only been about a hundred of them left.

There was no information on me specifically, but that was okay. I read that they had found Jaron here on Earth. He was one of the last dragons on earth, and if there were any more, they were hiding. Many had gone to sleep after so many years here. Since they did, no one had been able to find them. I wasn't sure if that was still the case. If it was, I was glad to know that there were far more powerful dragons out there.

Pursing my lips, I closed the file when I was done and glanced out the window. The sun was slowly starting to set, and when I checked my phone I saw that it was six in the evening. I grunted to myself at that moment. The day just flew by, and I found I was exhausted. I was also hungry.

Footsteps caught my attention, and I looked up to see Steve walking over. He was still in uniform, but his shield wasn't strapped to his back. I rose to my feet when he got close enough, and he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"I was wondering where you got off to," he hummed, and I sighed.

"I was reading this," I replied, handing him the file. "Thor sent Jane a bunch of information. And I think they found more here."

He took it, and scanned through it. His eyebrows rose in surprise and once he was satisfied with things he closed it. "You should be happy about that."

"Oh I am," I nodded, as we started walking. "It's been a long day."

"They beat you up too much?" he mused, and I laughed.

"Hardly," I replied, amusement heavy in my voice. "Hungry?"

"Starving."

Chuckling, we walked to his flat so that we could shower. I had a good bruise on my back from when Vision had slammed me to the mat, but it'd go away in a few hours. I had not been used to the ones that had lasted days. An hour or so yes, but not days. Once the both of us were clean, I decided on throwing something together for dinner. I figured everyone was going to be here, and my assumptions were correct. It was a steak and beer kind of night, and I made a few other side dishes to go along with it.

Steve and Sam tackled cooking the steak on the grill after I had seasoned them. I finished the salad and baked potatoes, and threw plates and bowls on the table. Nat came in and helped me, humming quietly to herself. I knew even now she was still hurting after Bruce had left, but she did a good job at hiding it. As I passed, I touched her on the shoulder as she stared at a plate for too long.

"Fine," she murmured.

"I know," I nodded, putting the salad in the center.

I heard laughter outside, and glanced up to see Steve and Sam both howling about something. Men talk. It was good to see everyone at least partly relaxed. Natasha moved and made a few drinks for her and I. Wanda didn't want anything, and instead she drank water. Her and Vision sat together on the couch talking, and I grabbed the drink from Natasha as she swirled it in my face.

"Too bad this does nothing to me," I sighed sadly. "At least I can enjoy the taste."

"That really has to suck..." she laughed, taking a drink of her own.

"It's extremely unfortunate."

She laughed softly again, and we both sat down as Sam and Steve brought in the steaks. As dinner started, we all sat down and ate. There was talking and laughing around the whole table. I could feel the mood lift, which made me happy. I didn't like seeing Natasha down. She had always been strong. We all finished dinner, cleaned up and then after a long night of talking, everyone went their separate ways. I had lost sight of Steve at the end of the night, so I quietly went toward my room. It had indeed been a long day, and I was ready for a little sleep.

As I got to my room, someone came up behind me. I immediately reached out to see who it was, and relaxed a little. Opening the door, I hurried in, and Steve walked in behind me. I smiled at him when he shut the door.

"Where did you run off to?" I asked.

"Called Peggy," he replied, taking his shoes off. "She was having a good day today."

"How has she been doing?" I hummed, asking the question cautiously.

"She is...all right," he sighed sadly. "She asked if I was seeing anyone yet, so I told her yes. Told her about you. She laughed, said about time."

I laughed at that, and went to my room and sat down on the bed. I took off my shoes and finally gave into the yawn that I had been holding back. He glanced at me slightly, with a little amusement.

"You should go see her," I murmured, getting up to change.

"Maybe I will next week," he replied slowly.

I chuckled, and went to brush my teeth and got ready for bed. He followed my example, and after that, he took me to bed himself. Sleep came way later that night.


	22. Chapter 22

**From this point on, we have Captain America: Civil War spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie, don't let me ruin it for you lol**

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

The next year passed by so quickly that I felt like all I did was blink. There had been leads on Rumlow after he had left the hospital. I had forgotten that he had even been alive. The man had a deep hatred for Steve after what had happened in Washington. They had been keeping track of his movements, and after several failed attempts at finding him, they finally found him in Lagos. I had helped the others train over the year, having also trained myself. With Hydra still wanting me, we had decided that I was to lay low for as long as possible.

I had tried to find Banner with the resources we had, but the man just didn't want to be found. When Steve and the others had left for Lagos, I stayed behind. They didn't need me, and it was a good chance for Wanda to get out with her powers. She had wanted to do some good. I stayed behind with Vision instead.

"I am quite surprised that you did not join them," Vision spoke, looking up as I made some coffee.

"They don't need me there. Just because I'm with Steve doesn't mean we need to be together always," I replied, a soft chuckle erupting from my lips.

"No, I...well no I suppose not," he smiled, looking down at what he was reading.

I chuckled again, and took a drink of my coffee. Steve was more than capable of taking care of himself, there was no need to worry about him. That's what I enjoyed most about our relationship. We usually weren't over ridden by worry that the other wouldn't be all right. I finished my coffee, and then meditated for a few hours. They came home the next evening, and Wanda was looking extremely discouraged. It didn't take an expert to realize something bad had happened.

I said nothing to them when they arrived, and it was no surprise to see everyone promptly go to bed. Steve of course didn't sleep right away, and instead went and showered. He had a routine when he came home from missions, and I had it memorized. Something hung in the air tonight. There was a heavy sadness, even shock among them. Sam briefly told me that they had been successful in stopping Rumlow, just as he headed to bed.

My eyebrows raised at the conformation of the man's death. Instead of waiting for Steve to come out, I let myself into his apartment. The shower was still on, and my senses told me he was still in there. Making up my mind, I quietly went to the door and opened it. Stripping out of my clothes, I joined him in the shower. His head was under the water, but I knew he was aware that he was no longer alone.

Once he was aware of me, I reached out and ran my hands over his back and the tension slowly melted from his shoulders. Steve turned and I found myself suddenly wrapped up in his arms. I was unable to help the squeak the came from me. A sigh left his lips as he pressed his forehead down on my shoulder.

"So what happened?" I asked. "I can tell something went wrong."

"We stopped Rumlow," he answered, his voice low. "He's dead. He attempted to take me with him, and Wanda was able to keep the blast stuck around him...until she lost control of where it went. Blew the south side of an apartment building out. It was an accident..."

"Oh no," I sighed sadly. "I'm sure that wasn't something you all had planned."

Another sigh left him, and he pressed his lips to my shoulder a moment later. I helped him wash the dirt and blood off him, and for a little while we just took in the company together. Once finished, he ended up going straight to bed, dragging me along with him. I laughed at that, unable to help it. He fell asleep after pulling me close, his arm wrapped securely around me.

The next morning was the normal work routine, and I came up to the office with coffee for those I liked. Steve came in a little later than usual, and turned on the news when he got into his office. I was also watching it from my own office and leaned back in my chair when I saw all the damage that had been done. I sighed quietly, knowing that poor Wanda was probably beating herself up over what had happened. She hadn't meant for any of it to go down the way it did.

Leaning back in my chair, I watched the news report until someone came to the door. Turning my head, I looked right at Steve. He wasn't happy. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were hard. He crossed his arms, and I saw the line of his shoulders tense. It usually took a lot to annoy or irritate him. Something was obviously wrong. I rose quietly to my feet.

"Tony is here," he rumbled. "Brought the Secretary of State with him."

"Oh that's just great news," I grunted, and he sighed in agreement.

"I can only imagine," he mumbled, and I reached out to lay a hand on his arm.

"No matter what it is, we'll deal with it," I said gently.

He glanced down at the gesture, and gave me a grateful look. I followed him down the hall, and took my seat next to Wanda. She leaned toward me a little, so I ran a brief hand over her arm. She relaxed at the contact and I comfortably leaned back in my chair. I watched as a new man entered the room, and I kept my relaxed posture. When suits came into the office like this, it was never a good thing. I watched the way he carried himself, and I instantly hated him.

"I had a heart attack," Thaddeus Ross started. "I dropped, right in the middle of my back swing. It turned out to be the best game of my life. After the 13 hours of surgery, and a triple bypass, I found something 40 years in the army could never have taught me. Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us and risked your lives."

I almost said something, but I managed to keep my mouth shut. Instead, I stared at the table. This meeting wasn't going to go the way we wanted it, I could sense it. Beside me, Wanda shifted a little uncomfortably in her seat. I glanced at her for a second, before looking up briefly at Sam who was on the other side of me. He wasn't happy either.

"But while there are a great many people who see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word vigilantes," Ross said slowly, not looking at anyone.

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asked calmly.

"How about dangerous?" he replied. "What would you call a group of US based enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders, and inflict their will wherever they choose, and seem quite frankly, unconcerned with what they leave behind?"

He turned and pressed play on something, and shots from all the previous battles came onto the screen. My eyes narrowed dangerously, and I clenched my fists. Steve shifted just barely, his finger pointing at his eye, and I caught his message. Looking down, I blinked.

"New York…." Ross rumbled. "Washington...Sokovia...Lagos..."

As he spoke, he went through each battle and I bristled when I saw Lagos. Beside me, Wanda looked down, sucking in her breath quietly. Steve laid his hand firmly on the table then, seeing her reaction. It took every ounce of control to keep my body still.

"All right, that's enough," he said flatly.

"For the past four years you have operated with unlimited power," Ross continued. "And no supervision. That's something the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. I think we have a solution. The Sokovia Accords," he sighed, laying a booklet on the table. "Approved by 117 countries. It states that the Avengers should no longer be a private organization. Instead they'll operate under the supervision of a UN panel, only if and when that panel deems it necessary."

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place," Steve said slowly. "I feel we've done that."

"Tell me Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross asked, looking over at him. "If I misplaced a couple of nukes, you'd bet there would be consequences. Compromise, reassurance, that's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

I wanted to ring the man's neck. Misplaced? All of us knew where Thor was and why Banner was missing. We just didn't know where Banner was. Shifting in my seat I met Sam's gaze and he arched his brow. It was a familiar gesture, so I found myself looking down again. I was angry. Humans had no idea about the world they lived in.

"So there are contingencies," Rhodes spoke up.

"Three days from now the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords," Ross replied with a nod. "Talk it over."

Steve glanced back at Tony, who didn't exactly meet his look. From what I could see, he was extremely angry about what this had come to. He had fought governments like this. He stood for what freedom truly meant, and now here we were being shoved toward the very thing he didn't want. Ross slowly moved toward the door, obviously done with what he had to speak about.

"And what if we come to a decision that you don't like?" Natasha asked cautiously.

"Then you retire," Ross replied firmly.

I looked at Natasha when she didn't reply, but I saw her brain working. This was insane. I crossed my arms and leaned further back into my chair, letting it lean back. I wanted to rip that man apart. Glancing up again, I met Steve's gaze and he gave me an irritated look. He knew what I was thinking. I couldn't help the small tug of my lips. Only his eyes gave away the amusement, hidden in their depths.


	23. Chapter 23

**So sorry it took me so long to get this out. Thanks for all the recent activity on this story! I'm so glad to know people actually enjoy it! Enjoy this chapter! As I said, Chapter 22 is the start of Civil War, so if you haven't seen it, don't read this. If you don't care, read away! :D Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 23**

 **Steve's POV**

Since the meeting with Secretary Ross, the whole group had separated and thought things over. Steve was still trying to read through the book that had been written. He knew he wasn't going to get through all of it in time, but one thing was for certain. He couldn't sign it. It'd tie their hands, and give over the control they had over themselves. The one thing he had learned in the time he had been at war, and since waking up again, was that agendas changed. People were easily corrupted. Shield had been compromised by Hydra, what's to say something like that couldn't happen again? He understood why the bill had been written, but it didn't mean he had to agree with it.

They had put it together so quickly, that he knew there were hidden things in there. Humans enjoyed controlling things. It had been something Kayden had told him years ago. He knew that. It wasn't new, but this was proof. He sighed quietly, and ran a hand over his face in irritation. Glancing up, he noticed that everyone was slowly filtering in to the dining area, talking things over. Sam and Rhodey were arguing about it already, while everyone else was silent.

"I have an equation," Vision said loudly, interrupting the two arguing men.

"Oh this will clear it right up," Sam snorted, crossing his arms.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, a number of potentially world ending events has risen at a commensurable rate," Vision replied, leaning forward.

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asked, looking up.

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict, and conflict breeds catastrophe. Oversight….oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand," he said slowly.

"Boom," Rhodes hissed.

"Tony, you're being uncharacteristically non hyper verbal," Natasha remarked, looking over at him.

He snorted and got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. It had Steve glancing back at him, because Nat was right. He was being quiet, he hadn't spoken a word since the meeting. It irritated him, but Steve knew better than to try and understand what was going through his friend's head. But then again, Steve was pretty sure he already knew why Tony was so quiet.

"It's because he's already made up his mind," Steve replied for him.

"Boy, you know me so well," Tony replied sharply, going to poor himself a cup of coffee. "Actually, I'm nursing an electro-magnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee ground in the disposal? Am I running a Bed and Breakfast for a biker gang?"

Steve glanced over at Tony as he stood there for a moment. He pulled something up, and a photo of a kid appeared from his projector. It was a young man. Glancing over slightly, he noticed Kayden glancing over at the photo, and then suddenly shutting out of the conversation. He knew exactly why she did. Natasha shifted quietly beside her, and Wanda fell silent.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way," Tony said. "He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a four level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas, or Ft. Lauderdale like I would do. He didn't want to go to Paris, or Amsterdam which sounds fun. No, he decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference I suppose. We won't know because we dropped a building on him, while we were kicking ass."

Even checked out, Steve knew Kayden was listening. Ultron had taken a toll on all of them, especially Wanda. He glanced toward the young woman to see her looking at the floor. Tony let the silence go for a moment, before he walked around the counter, crossing his arms. Steve sighed softly, and glanced up at him.

"There is no decision making process here," Tony said firmly. "We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, or we're boundary-less, we are no better than the bad guys."

"Tony," Steve sighed, his voice quiet. "Someone dies on your watch, you don't give up."

"Who says we're giving up?" Tony demanded.

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions," he answered, looking up firmly. "This document just shifts the blame."

"Sorry, Steve," Rhodey cut in. "That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we are talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA…."

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change," he replied sharply.

"That's good," Tony debated. "That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

"Tony you chose to do that," Steve countered. "If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go. What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they won't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

"If we don't do this now...it'll be done to us later," Tony murmured. "That's a fact. That won't be pretty."

"D, what do you think?" Natasha asked softly, meaning to keep the conversation between her and the other woman.

Tony turned around instantly, and he snorted at them both. "Oh like you need to ask her?" he demanded. "Of course we know who she's going to side with."

He knew it was coming. Kayden had been silent and reserved all day. She had been furious about the meeting, about what was happening, and Tony had just picked a fight with her. Steve tensed only slightly as the woman came to her feet in one fluid motion. In the next, she had taken Tony clear across the room, his back smacking against the wall. A loud growl that wasn't human escaped her.

Steve easily sensed the shock and unease in the room. No one had seen her act like that in quite some time. He stayed calmly in his seat, because in the next second, she had dropped Tony and stepped back from him. He knew Tony was obviously disturbed by her reaction, and as she turned, he saw it had surprised her as well.

"I don't take orders from anyone," she said sharply. "Not from you, and not from Steve. Our relationship has absolutely nothing to do with my choice. I follow him because he is a leader we should be looking to. This bill can go to hell. If I wanted to sign my life away, I would give myself to Hydra. I will not sign it. You humans have no idea what's truly out there, and the fact that you think you have any control is hilarious."

When she sat back down, he met her gaze. She gave him a semi apologetic look, and he took it for what it was. He didn't blame her for the reaction she had. If they all signed, if she signed, he knew they'd land her in a cell some where. Run tests. Treat her like she was some foreign object. Humans didn't understand her. Just like Vision, Wanda and Bruce. That was extremely predictable. If this didn't land them in a cell, he'd be interested to see how long this would last.

"I think maybe Tony is right," Natasha said suddenly. "If we take one hand off the wheel...maybe we can still steer."

"Wait a second...aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam demanded.

"I'm...I'm just reading the terrain here," she replied, her eyes on Steve. "We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."

Steve lowered his eyes when Tony spoke up. She had a point, but they were giving up so much to do that. He sighed softly to himself, and shifted when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out to check what it was, he found his whole body freezing.

SHE'S GONE. IN HER SLEEP.

The words hit him like a ton of bricks. He hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye. Breathing in sharply, he threw the book onto the table and go to his feet. He wasn't about to stay here and argue on something he knew he couldn't do.

"I got to go," he said sharply, and left the room.

"Something is wrong," Kayden murmured, and he heard her.

"Of course something is wrong, he can't handle what's going on," Tony snapped.

"No, he's handling what is going on just fine," Kayden snapped. "It's you who isn't handling. What ever happens next with this….this is on you and your damn guilt trip."

He heard her speaking until he got to the stairs, and even in his grief he had to love her for it. She always had his back. Walking to the bottom of the stairs, taking in the silence he leaned against the railing. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried so hard to control the emotion that raged to the surface. Tears came to his eyes, and his body shuddered slightly from it. Peggy had always been important to him. He hadn't been able to say good bye.

"Steve?"

Her voice jerked him to the present. "Peggy's gone," he murmured, keeping his hand where it was.

He felt her hand on his arm, before suddenly, he was being pulled backward against her. She squeezed him, pressing the side of her head against his. Reaching up, Steve laid his hand over both of hers in silence.

"Then you need to go," she murmured firmly.

"Will you come?" he found himself asking.

"Of course, "she replied. "Give me the address, and I'll be there."

"Thank you," he rumbled, squeezing her hands.

He stood there with her for several minutes, giving in to the comfort she was providing. He knew the moment he left, he would break down. It was like the last piece of his old life was being ripped away from him. A life he should have lived, but fate had other plans for him. He didn't regret doing what he did, but he had wondered on occasion what life would have been like. Had he not done what he did, he wouldn't be where he was now, that much he knew. It still hurt his heart more than he wanted to admit.

"I'll see you there," he whispered, and she let go of him.


End file.
